KOMPETENCIJE ZA RAD S KORISNICIMA TREĆE ŽIVOTNE DOBI U INFORMACIJSKOJ SLUŽBI KNJIŽNICA GRADA ZAGREBA: ISTRAŽIVANJE STAVOVA KNJIŽNIČARA.

Purpose. The aim of this paper is to emphasize the importance of strengthening librarians' competencies in working with older adults, using the example of the „65 plus" project by the Zagreb City Libraries. Methodology. The research was conducted among librarians participating in the „65 plus" project from October 25th to November 5th, 2022, using a survey method and an online questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of 28 open and closed-type questions and was completed by 38 respondents, representing 69 % of the target group. The research examined librarians' attitudes towards the necessary competencies for working with older adults, self-assessment of their competencies and sensitivity to the needs of older adults in general, the importance of lifelong learning and ways to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to work with this user group. Results. The research results show that the respondents consider themselves competent to work with older adults and believe that continuous education is necessary for providing quality service and development of new programmes, indicating that they are personally and professionally motivated to participate in the project. The most important general competencies necessary for working with older adults highlighted by the respondents are ethics, communication skills and the ability to adapt to new situations. The most important professional competencies are eff ectively providing information to meet user needs, the ability to teach users and the ability to provide and develop (new) services for users. Practical implications. The research results can help other public libraries in designing programmes, developing the competencies of their employees working in the reference and information service and improving services for older adults....Originality/Value. This paper presents the results of the fi rst research on the attitudes of librarians involved in the implementation of the „65 plus" project regarding the importance of various competencies and lifelong education for designing and implementing quality programmes for older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]