Bukmarker application: libraries enhancing quality education in Serbia

Abstract

In the beginning of 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Čačak Public Library in Serbia developed the project entitled “Bukmarker: my e-reading diary”, https://bukmarker.app/. The project steer collaboration of the institution with four other public libraries in Serbia, which resulted in the creation of an innovative application in Serbian language that provided an open platform for helping readers of all ages to collect, research, share and preserve information about the books, journals, or other reading material of their choice. The application was successfully started and marketed in 2022 by all five partners, bringing into the Serbian app market new platform which did not use private data of its users for external purposes, nor sell advertisement space or participate in affiliated marketing campaigns. It boosted online collaboration and education, so much in need during the periods of irregular working conditions and frequent prolonged lockdowns in Serbia. The application is in second year of usage by numerous registered users, with upgraded version introduced in late 2022. This experience showed the importance of collaboration of librarians with the educational sector, in an effort introducing new or improving existing library services that can address growing needs of users and citizens interested in quality education.