Application of Agile Project Management in Libraries: Subotica Digital Library

Abstract

The library, as an institution providing access to knowledge, information, and resources of public significance, plays an indispensable role in satisfying the educational and cultural needs of society. To meet the users’ needs, the library must continuously adapt to changes in time, technology, and society.
For this reason, the library must have a creative, flexible, and agile identity. An agile approach involves a quick and efficient response to user demands, and it also implies teamwork, constant communication, and the development of new library work concepts, which are integral to the creative economy. Although the methodology of agile management has improved teamwork, many face fear of failure and the drastic changes that this approach entails.
Within this paper, a case study of the Subotica City Library (hereinafter referred to as SCL) is presented, which has implemented agile management in its operations to enhance its library practices. SCL applies a multifunctional and team strategy that enables the development of collaborative library work and the digitization of local cultural heritage. This strategy involves the creation of a program that encourages creative thinking, improvement, collaborative work in the library, and the digitization of local collections, using agile management that emphasizes the value of collaboration and research within libraries.
This paper aims to explore the importance, advantages, and position of agile management in libraries, using the example of SCL. In addition to the theoretical aspect, this paper also focuses on practical library work and the digitization of SCL’s cultural heritage using agile management methods.