Agile Methodology in the Promotive Activities of the “Svetozar Marković” University Library

Abstract

This paper is focused on the agile methodology in a digital library environment. Text before you refers to the promotive activity of the “Svetozar Marković” University Library in Belgrade. The author of this paper has a documents convergence in mind. That convergence is desirable for the promotive activities in each university library. This paper is a case study. At the same time it is a descriptive study. Its goal is to explain promotive activities realized by the University Library mentioned here, but through their usual phases – beginning with a proposal until the end. Those promotive activities for whose realization agile methodology was being used in Library are taken into account. In certain empirical framework, those persons who use agile methodology are librarians with long professional experience. Their usual characteristic is that they have strong information skills. Except that, they have abilities for efficient individual and team work. Furthermore they are oriented towards low-cost solutions. New technological environment is close to them. The agile methodologies do not exclude the implementation of some traditional means. Combined operations give often a very successful result.

A librarian who performs promotive activities, doesn’t neglect in practice his current set of obligations and tasks. He tries to connect them with those events that arrive. The Library regularly looks for and finds such events in order to stay in contact with users and achieve their loyalty. It tends to receive new readers. During this post-covid period the relationship towards library audience is more open. Library users receive new information and widen their own knowledge reading catalogues of exhibitions. It is in such a way that users are being reminded of some important facts from the world of science and receive new knowledge as well as professional recommendations for reading through bibliographies which are included into the exhibitions catalogues. Such very popular literature always finds readers easily.

This descriptive study shows how librarian can make educational influence to actual and potential users and tends to make them understand better the type of the library. It is a way to widen also the membership of the library through attracting those readers who need the library such as it is – with its’ technical equipment, strategy, collections and the opportunity to use sources in Serbian and in foreign languages. Making library reality closer to users will help them get acquainted better with its’ staff and collections. Services and the collections are more accessive if there are monographies published in a printed form or on CD-s. The University Library has some hybrid editions of catalogues which improve the image of this institution in public.

What makes the behaviour of a librarian truly agile is his entire effort to make certain creator, his life and his work closer to users. Except that, the way of presenting news in the library includes introductive texts, posters, computer presentations, and diverse sources of information. We live in the epoch of information-communication technologies. So, informatics with standards for librarians is being implemented in cataloguing and classificating the catalogues of exhibitions. These are the standards which are being implemented for cataloguing all other monographies including doctoral dissertations, master theses and conference books from professional or scientific meetings. A catalogue which is classificated this way confirms to readers who were present or absent that an event was organized. That publication including indispensable reviews will inform him wider on the event he had maybe neglected. Agile methodology including oral and written presentation gives synergetic result which contributes to a more successful work in the domain of promotive activities. It is a way to stimulate the interest of readers for Library work and development.

Keywords: agile methodology, promotive activities, new technologies, university library, users.