Aleksandra Đurić Bosnić
ORCID 0009-00058448-451X
Cultural Center of Vojvodina “Miloš Crnjanski”, Novi Sad
sasabosnicdjuric@gmail.com

doi: 10.5937/cit2648068D
Br. 48 (May 2026), No. 68-76

Multicultural Libraries and the Development of Intercultural Competences

Abstract

It is already obvious that the development of cultural complexity represents a process that will intensify in the future. In such circumstances, multiculturalism is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for successfully facing such challenges. The complexity of the cultural mosaic will require a different kind of response, through the constitution of patterns by which the community regulates the pluralism of identities within it. A set of these patterns can also be defined as intercultural competence, that is, the ability to manage this cultural complexity in micro and macro contexts. In this sense, the subject of this paper is the connection between the multiculturalism of libraries and the level of intercultural competencies in society. In other words, we will try to answer the question - to what extent libraries can contribute to the improvement of intercultural competences in the environment. Our basic assumption is that libraries can play an extremely important role in this process. However, to achieve this mission, libraries must be innovative cultural centers - spaces of dialogue, understanding and inclusion; continuous work on the development and improvement of intercultural competences of librarians themselves is also necessary, as well as active cooperation with the local environment - political structures, educational institutions, media, other cultural institutions and civil organizations and citizens. The explicit social relevance of this topic is reflected in the need to align the concept of library functioning with changes in the way individual and collective identities are constituted and manifested.

Keywords:

social complexity, multiculturalism, libraries, intercultural competences

Submitted: 16th February 2026.
Correction to the manuscript: 19th March 2026.
Accepted for publication: 23th April 2026.

Multicultural Libraries and the Development of Intercultural Competences by Aleksandra Đurić Bosnić is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Full text