- Libraries as a Precondition for creative Economy   43 kb by    Zupan, Vesna | buzupan@afrodita.rcub.bg.ac.yu    Short Outline Libraries are non profit organizations. They can make positive influence on economic development. City authorities should plan sufficient means for the work of libraries because every citizen should find an adequate place in the Information Society. Abstract As libraries are usually budget institutions there is a feedback between these organizations and national economy. The more developed the economy is, the higher are the financial means planned for the work of libraries. This is noticed in OECD countries as well as in developing countries. Today, it is nothing unusual if some enterprise, commercial bank or an institute has its' library in Serbia. However the hight of financial means will be often decisive for the efficiency of library work. As far as economic development is concerned, particular attention should be paid to the libraries as centres for searching data bases and the dissemination of information in general. Of course, it is very important to respect the type of these organizations. Special and academic libraries in cities may contribute to economic growth and development. It does not mean that public libraries should neglect it. Libraries in Serbia contribute to the progress of national economy in different ways. Their financial conditions and space are also different. Human resources didn't achieve the same level of information skills. Technical conditions are key problem in some cultural as well as educational organizations. Consortium of Coordinated Acquisition exists several years in Serbia. It is included into EIFL (Electronic Information for Libraries) Direct Project. Therefore many academic papers in the field of economy are accessive to the end users. The libraries may adjust themselves to needs and expectations of the users in the field of economics by adjusting their collections, programs and the range of services to this marketing segment. Funding authorites should have in mind that libraries can make positive influence on the development of creative economy thanks to e-resources and other instruments but only under adequate conditions. There are 36 libraries included into Virtual Library of Serbia. All libraries in Serbia do not use the same software for cataloguing their materials. They are being financed from different resources and it is not easy to create or accept the strategy of development for all the libraries in the country. Investments into new buildings are low. Usually there is a lack of means for reconstruction of these organizations and many of them do not possess sufficient number of computers yet. The development of library and information systems should make possible for every individual to penetrate the Information Society. Keywords libraries, development, economy, market, planning Case Study presented on the ISOCARP Congress 2005: Making Spaces for the Creative Economy   Click to open the full paper as pdf document   Click to send an email to the author(s) of this paper