Public Libraries in the Eyes of the LGBTIQ Community: The Case of Croatia

Abstract

The achievement of social justice, which implies the development of collections and the design of services for different user groups, is an objective present in the mission of public libraries. Since the 1950s, Croatian public libraries have been continuously developing collections and services for different user communities. However, one user community has remained largely unrecognized – LGBTIQ people. Therefore, the aim of the research presented in this paper is to examine the importance of the role of public libraries in the life of the LGBTIQ community in the Republic of Croatia. With a sample of 259 respondents, information behaviors, attitudes and experiences of LGBTIQ people in relation to public libraries have been examined via an online survey. In particular, this study explored the extent to which members of public libraries differ from non-members. The obtained results should contribute to a better understanding of the information needs and behavior of members of sexual minorities and help bring this group of users closer to (Croatian) public libraries by ensuring that libraries more adequately respond to their needs.

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