Summary

In developed library and information environments librarians consider their role of communication intermediaries to be crucial in terms of offering collections, services and programs in the right manner. This case study empirically researches and perceives public relations practice in public libraries in Serbia, and offers recommendations for further development of this field. Primary target group in this research included directors of public libraries, their assistants and heads of sectors and departments, and the second group focused on associates engaged in PR tasks. Methodological approach that was used in the study included an online survey sent out to over two hundred email addresses and gathered quantitative and qualitative data from fifty respondents. Even though it is not easy to comment on development or stagnation in this field, since no similar researches have been done in Serbia, it is clear that libraries are transferring their focus on intensive communication with the public. This study showed significant observations when it comes to understanding the public relations, profile of the employees involved in this field, importance of the internal communication, visual identity, quality of communication with stakeholders, and awareness that some of the work processes in a library essentially belong to the public relations field.

Authors of the paper suggest that accepting and developing principles of an organizational culture would create a new frame for working with public relations field. One of the principles - culture of tasks is based on an assumption that people like to work and therefore need to have certain conditions that would best stimulate their skills and knowledge. This kind of culture favors the capability of an individual to contribute to the goals of an organization as well as rights of each employee to create new ideas and solutions that would bring changes to the organization. Some of the most important values of such organization include a strong feeling of affiliation, a need to connect and to work efficiently within a team. Development of organizational culture has its roots in these values and today it is considered to be the best solution to two fundamental problems that challenge members of the organization: internal integration and external adaptation.

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