Danijela Petrić
danijela@knjiznica-koprivnica.hr

Maja Krulić Gačan
maja@knjiznica-koprivnica.hr

Knjižnica i čitaonica „Fran Galović“, Koprivnica, Hrvatska

doi: 10.19090/cit.2025.46.48-56
No. 46 (maj 2025), str. 48-56

Inclusive Services in Public Libraries: the example of the Public Library “Fran Galović” Koprivnica concerning the social integration of people with disabilities

Summary

Public libraries play a key role in social inclusion, providing equal opportunities for all users, including vulnerable groups such as people with disabilities. According to IFLA and UNESCO, libraries are information centers that can adjust to the community’s needs. However, libraries are often not recognized as spaces of social justice. In Croatia, libraries, such as the one in Koprivnica, actively work on the inclusion of people with disabilities through specialized programs and services for children and adults, such as services for the blind and partially sighted, for people with mental disabilities or deaf people. The programs are based on inclusion, in collaboration with associations and strategic planning. Public library in Koprivnica has been acknowledged nationally and internationally for its dedication to this sector. The goal is to enable equal participation in the community for everyone, although access to all services is still not fully enabled. The paper describes programs and services provided by the “Fran Galović” Public Library in Koprivnica, which focus on individuals with disabilities. Library services for the blind and visually impaired, as well as for people with reading disabilities, have been implemented by this library since 2006. Programs for people with mental disabilities such as “Latice in library” and “Inclusive volunteering” have been presented. For people with mobility disabilities, the library offers a book delivery service. It contains a collection of materials on autism, and provides inclusive workshops for learning sign language. It is also an educational center, so in addition to workshops, courses and professional conferences, it is a publisher of valuable publications on inclusive services in libraries. It has published two collections, and is also a co-publisher of the Croatian amended and supplemented edition of “Accessibility Guidelines for Public Libraries”.

Keywords:

autism, blind and visually impaired people, deaf people, inclusion, people with disabilities, people with reading disabilities, people with mental disabilities, Public Library „Fran Galović” Koprivnica, public libraries

Submitted: 27th February 2025
Correction to the manuscript: 6th March 2025
Accepted for publication: 10th March 2025

Inclusive Services in Public Libraries: the example of the Public Library “Fran Galović” Koprivnica concerning the social integration of people with disabilities by Danijela Petrić is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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