KNJIZNICE NA PUTU OD POSLANJA DO STRATEGIJE: OSVRT NA HRVATSKE PRILIKE/LIBRARIES ON THEIR WAY FROM MISSION TO STRATEGY: A REVIEW OF CROATIAN CIRCUMSTANCES

The policy towards books, or more precisely for books and libraries, is an integral part of cultural, scientific and educational policies at the national level of all countries in the world. Over the past three decades the introduction of new technologies in publishing, reproduction and distribution of all types of content have considerably affected the work of traditional libraries turning them gradually into hybrid libraries that strive to become digital libraries. The author points out the most important aspects of this process with regard to library materials, users, and the general public. Emphasizing the importance of the librarian as a professional who provides a specific service to the user, the author shows to what extent some strategic guidelines have been included in the important Croatian documents and how much they have been put into practice. She focuses on four important issues -- digitization, creating repositories, acquisition of electronic resources for libraries, and professional education -- and finally gives some guidelines for future development.