This paper examines the information behaviour and information needs of incarcerated persons in Croatian correctional facilities. A total of 620 printed questionnaires were mailed to six Croatian penitentiaries and administered to prisoners who were serving a long-term period sentence. Sample included both male and female prisoners with the response rate of 81%. The data was analysed with the help of statistical software SPSS. Almost all incarcerated persons that participated in this study have a greater need for information while in prison than they had before incarceration. The largest majority of respondents require information about the life in penitentiary, information about their family members and friends, and information about life-after-prison. In most cases, respondents seek required information from their family members and friends. Very rarely are their varied educational, informational, legal and recreational needs met by a prison library. The findings indicate that about a third of respondents revealed that their current information needs were not met and that Croatian prison libraries are unequipped to meet information needs of incarcerated persons. In order to change present situation, better cooperation between Croatian Library Association and Croatian prison administration is needed.

PurposeTo provide an overview of CALIMERA (Cultural Applications: Local Institutions Mediating Electronic Resources Access), a Coordination Action under the European Union’s Information Society Technologies Framework Programme 6 – IST FP6.Design/methodology/approachA summary of the main points and objectives of the programme.FindingsThe goal of CALIMERA is to assist local cultural institutions – public libraries, museums and archives – to apply and develop innovative technologies and joint strategies for serving ordinary citizens in their everyday lives. The CALIMERA partner network involves directly 52 organisations from 42 European and neighbouring countries, including local and municipal public libraries, museums and archives, national authorities, research institutions and solutions providers. The 18 month Coordination Action which started in December 2003 builds upon the achievements of another EU project, PULMAN Network of Excellence (Public Libraries Mobilising Advanced Networks).Originality/valueThis is a useful summary of a European programme of interest to all those involved iwth information management.

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation.

Purpose. The world population is continuously ageing, and a significant amount of world efforts has already been dedicated to increasing the quality of life of the population in the age-group of 65+. A way to achieve this goal is to introduce older generations to the benefits of digital technology. This paper presents the findings of a study on digital technology adoption and the online information needs of senior citizens in the city of Osijek, Croatia. Methodology. The study was conducted on a sample of 188 participants from September to December 2021. The data was collected by the means of a paper survey distributed to respondents in several locations: a local senior care home, the farmers market, and a non-profit organization. Findings. The respondents in our sample prefer smartphones (49.5%) and personal computers or laptops (27.7%) over tablet computers and smartwatches. The internet is used by almost 70% of the respondents, mostly for purposeful searches for information or communication. E-learning, e-shopping, or e-government applications are used rarely. The study detected significant differences in digital technology use concerning gender, age, life satisfaction and living with a partner. Social implications. In order to support and promote the active ageing of senior citizens in Osijek, a more systematic approach at the level of city administration is needed in order to ensure a better understanding and use of digital technology by this vulnerable demographic group. Originality. The paper presents a valuable contribution to further understanding the ICT adoption, skills and online information behaviour of senior citizens in Osijek, Croatia.

Library and information science (LIS) as a discipline is constantly changing in line with the trends of the profession, so in order to ensure LIS curriculum in higher education addresses the needs of contemporary stakeholders, evidence-based evaluation and improvement is needed. Student satisfaction has become an important factor in considering the success of the institution of higher education. The studies on student motivation for enrolling in LIS programs are many, but papers on student perception of satisfaction with their LIS study programs are rarer. This paper focuses on the efforts of ensuring curriculum quality of the LIS program at the graduate level of study at the Department of Information Sciences of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Osijek, Croatia. The main aim of the study was to determine how satisfied the students are with the quality of their study program and to identify its strengths and weaknesses. The study was carried out by anonymous online survey in which the students were asked to rate their satisfaction with the study program and the obtained professional and lifelong learning competences. Findings of the study are relevant for the revision of the LIS study program at the Osijek Department. This study can also have larger implications for LIS education trends globally, for it has confirmed some of the results from international studies.