| Abstract [eng] |
The Master's thesis aims to identify the role of the public library in the implementation of innovation policy in the region and to identify and justify the directions for strengthening this role. The theoretical part justifies the role of the public library in the implementation of the innovation policy in the region, defines the theoretical concept of the implementation of the innovation policy, reveals the specificity of the public library's activities, the roles it plays in the society and the impact on the regional development. The methodological part of the paper presents the chosen research methodology, research methods and instruments, organisation and conduct of the research, characteristics of the sample, ethics and design of the empirical research. A qualitative approach was chosen for the empirical study. The content analysis of documents was used to reveal the current situation of public libraries' activities related to the implementation of innovation policy. The results of the focus group discussion and the semi-structured expert interview analysis revealed the potential of the public library to contribute to the promotion of innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship in communities. Public libraries carry out a wide range of activities that contribute to the implementation of innovation policies: By promoting a culture of participation, increasing community involvement in public library activities, by organising activities in makerspaces, by fostering creativity in the community, by providing access to and learning how to use innovative technologies, by carrying out various learning activities, by giving everyone the opportunity to learn the skills needed in today's world, and by promoting lifelong learning, using digital technologies and mobile devices, providing services outside their buildings, working with local communities, educational, cultural and other institutions, helping communities to unite, building social capital in the region, promoting community involvement, enabling libraries to better understand and respond to the needs of the community. The analysis of the empirical research results also revealed the problems that public libraries face in implementing innovation policy, such as lack of funding and qualified staff, lack of legislation and programmes that enable public libraries to contribute to the implementation of innovation policy. It can therefore be argued that public libraries make an important contribution to the implementation of innovation policy, but if these problems are properly addressed, the role of public libraries in the implementation of innovation policy would be enhanced. The results of the empirical analysis of the study allowed to identify the roles of public libraries in the implementation of innovation policy in the region. The public library, in its roles as a disseminator, carrier, generator, initiator and guide of innovation, disseminates innovative ideas in the region, introduces the latest innovative technologies and, most importantly, teaches how to use them. The innovations created in the public library are accessible to the whole community, empowering people of different ages and from different social backgrounds, thus playing the role of an inclusive innovator. The public library's crucial role as a collective thinker is underlined. By bringing communities together in their own spaces, public libraries enable them to share knowledge and generate the collective ideas that lead to innovation. The public library's role as a mediator between culture and community, innovation and community, makes the public library more effective in meeting the needs of the community and increasing the diffusion of innovation. In summary, the public library plays the role of an innovation policy facilitator by contributing to the key objectives of innovation policy, i.e. the promotion of creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship and the strengthening of a culture of innovation. |
