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Aim/purpose. The aim of the paper is to draw the attention of the Croatian library community to design thinking as a concept, a set of methods and tools for solving problems and introducing innovations into business. The purpose is to inspire Croatian librarians to acquire design thinking skills and competencies in order to enhance their work. It is based on the methodology taken from design as a theoretical and practical discipline. Its key principles are user focus and a collaborative problem-solving strategy. Although design thinking has been developed since 1960s, integrating many tools and techniques in the fields of creativity, social sciences and computer sciences, it has become widely accepted in recent decades, primarily in the profit sector. It entered the library discourse only ten years ago. Despite the fact that there is no consensus on its acceptance in theory and practice, there is a growing number of profit and non-profit organizations, including libraries of all types and sizes that apply methodology and design thinking tools in their businesses. Approach/methodology. The desk research method will be used. A selection of relevant literature will provide an insight into the basic features of the design thinking concept and methods. The examples of its application in the profit sector and then in libraries, as an example of the non-profit sector, will be presented. The results. The insights presented in the paper will improve the awareness of the Croatian library community about design thinking as one of the popular trends in innovative and creative approaches to solving business problems in contemporary library management. Practical implications. The insights into the theoretical principles of design thinking and steps in its application, as well as several examples of good practice, could encourage Croatian librarians to introduce these new methods and tools into their libraries and library management. Originality/value. This paper introduces the topic of design thinking as a business concept and library management tool into theoretical discourse in Croatia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]