Bojana Grujić
Gradska biblioteka u Novom Sadu
bojana.grujic3@gmail.com

doi: 10.19090/cit.2020.36.103-114
No. 36 (May 2020), p. 103-114

Cultural Policy and Strategic Planning in Libraries

Summary

Despite the attempt to introduce strategic planning into Serbian cultural institutions at the beginning of this century, a significant shift at the systemic level was made only in early 2020, when the Government of the Republic of Serbia adopted the 2020-2029 Strategy of Cultural Development in the Republic of Serbia with the Action Plan. However, there was some progress during this period, as local governments mostly developed their own strategies of general and sustainable development, which also covered institutions of the public and other cultural sectors. Further actions should go towards developing projects to strengthen cultural institutions, i.e. cultural employees, to adopt their own strategic and action plans for the development. The model that has shown results so far is unique in the wider environment, as it has included 33 cultural institutions in Novi Sad and the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, and was implemented thanks to additional funding provided by the European Capital of Culture 2021 project. When drafting a strategy, it is crucial to perform the quality analysis, as it identifies weaknesses and threats, but also reveals strengths and capabilities that may have previously been undetected. The two examples of strategic planning in libraries in neighboring countries clearly indicate that the influence of the state is unproductive without adequate monitoring, control and support, as it is in Croatia, and that the cooperation of professional as sociations with the state bodies is vital, as shown in the example of Slovenia. The status of libraries has changed for the better in the last twenty years, thanks, among others, to the digitalisation of the cultural heritage, as well as to the recognition of libraries as the key players in the UN 2030 Agenda. The strong hold for further moves should be sought in this and in the documents of domestic and international professional associations.

Keywords:

cultural policy, strategic management, strategic planning, libraries, 2020-2029 Strategy of Cultural Development in the Republic of Serbia with the Action Plan, Serbia

Submitted: 22th February 2020
Correction to the manuscript: 30th March 2020
Accepted for publication: 14th April 2020

Cultural Policy and Strategic Planning in Libraries by Bojana Grujić is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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