1. TJEDAN ZABRANJENIH KNJIGA U HRVATSKIM NARODNIM KNJIŽNICAMA.
- Author
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Lakuš, Jelena and Baričević, Katarina
- Subjects
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BANNED Books Week , *PUBLIC libraries , *INTELLECTUAL freedom , *BANNED books , *LIBRARY research , *ACCESS to information , *FREEDOM of expression , *LIBRARY websites - Abstract
Purpose. The objective of this research is to explore if and in what way Croatian public libraries mark Banned Books Week, an event that celebrates the freedom to read, usually in the last week of September. Approach/methodology/design. First, by searching the websites of the libraries as well as their Facebook profiles, we identified the libraries that celebrate Banned Books Week. In addition, Google was also searched according to the precisely defined keywords. Furthermore, a content analysis of the identified news and announcements was carried out. The research was first conducted in October 2021, and then repeated at the end of September and the beginning of October 2022. The goal was to determine if any new public libraries have commemorated this event in the meantime. Findings. The research has shown that only twenty Croatian public libraries (out of 234) celebrated Banned Books Week, which is only 8.55% of all public libraries. The oldest posted news available online about the celebration of this event in Croatia dates back to 2011, which leads us to the conclusion that Banned Books Week has only been celebrated for the last ten years, and often without continuity. The event has been cele- brated usually very modestly, with only a few examples that are more creative. From the above, it can be concluded that Banned Books Week in Croatian public libraries is still not celebrated to a greater extent, and that this project has not fully taken root. Limitations. Since the total number of libraries in Croatia is very large it would be difficult to cover all libraries in one research, so this research has been limited to public libraries only. In addition, it is very likely that neither the selected ways of identifying libraries that celebrate Banned Books Week nor the chosen search strategies are the only possible ones. Practical use. The paper presents various possibilities and ways of celebrating this event. It is also an invitation to other libraries to join in the celebration of freedom of reading and open access to information. Social significance. The paper points to the important role of public libraries, as well as libraries in general, in the fight against censorship of the written word, advocating the idea of freedom of reading and intellectual freedom in general, and thus emphasizes their role in building and development of a democratic society. Originality/value. The value of the paper lies in the fact that it presents the research of a topic that is insufficiently represented in Croatia. So far, no similar research on the Banned Books Week in Croatia has been conducted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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