STRUČNO USAVRŠAVANJE KNJIŽNIČARA KNJIŽNIČNOG SUSTAVA SVEUČILIŠTA U RIJECI.

Purpose. The purpose of this paper is to present the state of professional training and development (continuing education) of the librarians in the libraries of the University of Rijeka. Together, these libraries constitute the University of Rijeka's library network (SveRiKS). The paper aims to identify the problems in the realization of continuing education and professional development of librarians and find possibilities of their overcoming, and also to anticipate the librarians' needs in continuing education in future. Approach/methodology/design. Based on the data on the realized programs of lifelong learning for librarians between 2013 and 2017, a survey was conducted in order to determine attitudes and opinions of librarians about professional training, obstacles they encounter, and their needs and preferred training methods in future. Findings. The survey results show that the professional training programs for librarians in the University of Rijeka library network have been carried out regularly and the educational content was in accordance with the current trends, changes, and demands in the modern environment. The librarians are continually involved in the processes of professional training and are successful in evaluating problems and needs in the context of lifelong learning. The results also show that the basic librarians' competencies are no longer sufficient for a successful carrying out of their everyday tasks. The shorter trainings in the educational contents that are directly applicable in librarians' work are considered as a possible solution. Originality value. For the University of Rijeka Library, the survey results present a starting point for an assessment of the current state and needs of the librarians, but also for a well-argued discussion with the libraries' founder, the University, in order to systematically develop a professional training plan for the library staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]