ZAGREB, 26 May, 2021 - On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Croatian Army and Croatian Ground Army Day, the Dr Franjo Tuđman Military Academy organised a photo exhibition, with each photo representing one year of the army's existence.

The exhibition may be seen from today until 3 June and from noon to 8 pm every day at the Zagreb Student Centre's French Pavillion, the Defence Ministry said in a press release.

The exhibition will also be shown at the Zagreb National and University Library until 31 May from 8 am to 9 pm on weekdays and from 9 am to 2 pm on Saturday.

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ZAGREB, 8 April, 2021 (Hina) - President Zoran Milanović on Thursday extended greetings on International Romani Day, saying that equality must not be a constitutional abstraction.

Today, in independent Croatia, the Roma have their state, a state which wants them as equal fellow citizens, but also a state which, aware of the unique fate and living conditions of the Roma, besides formally recognising their minority status, must also assume special responsibility for improving their living conditions, the president said in his message.

The problems which have always plagued the Roma minority have not disappeared, somewhere they have been alleviated, but somewhere they are still very evident. What can help the most in solving them is patient and organised common work, he said.

The education of Roma children and youth, from kindergarten to university, is closely related to employment, housing, healthcare and access to culture, Milanović said.

We can clearly gauge equality by the number of Roma children who attend school and university, by the social and municipal standard of Roma families, and by the possibilities of employing Roma in various segments of social and economic life, he added.

The cultural promotion and scientific affirmation of the Roma language as well as the political affirmation at every level are the components of the same mission and goal. That's why observing International Romani Day in Croatia is culturally and politically important for the entire Croatian society, and not just symbolically, the president said.

Milanović's advisor on human rights and civil society Melita Mulić was his envoy at a ceremony held at the Zagreb National and University Library to mark International Romani Day.

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ZAGREB, Dec 21, 2020 - After being welcomed at Zagreb airport, the bronze medallist national women's handball team was received at the National and University Library by President Zoran Milanovic, Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, and Tourism and Sports Minister Nikolina Brnjac.

Milanovic underscored that the handball team played intelligently. "If I were to compare that to Greek mythology, you would be something between Odysseus and Achilles. Neither the strongest nor the biggest but the best. You had against you Cyclopses who underestimated you. I noticed that that bothered you a lot. Considering I know the Danes, that doesn't surprise me. They are combative and think that weight and size can outwit intelligence and dexterity," said Milanovic.

"Thank you for the joy of the game because sport is first and foremost a game, a love, a passion and only then a state and a nation," he added.

Jandrokovic said that the team brought some joy in these difficult times. "Your victory and success are all the greater because we didn't expect them and there is nothing better in sport then when you are underestimated and arrive as an outsider and then achieve such a great result," he underscored.

Plenkovic said that he followed their games with great pride.

"You have made all of Croatia proud. Thank you for a beautiful sport story. I am truly happy that the women's national team has joined the success of men's handball. Thank you once again and sincere congratulations," said Plenkovic.

Minister Brnjac congratulated the team for this historic medal. "You have confirmed that athletes are our best and greatest ambassadors. This medal has brought us optimism and hope in these times," said Brnjac, congratulating coach Nenad Sostaric and his associates.

Croatia won the bronze medal at the European Women's Handball Championship in Denmark on Sunday after beating the hosts 25-19.

This is the first medal for the Croatian national women's handball team in major competitions.

Croatia has not competed in world women's handball championships since 2011.

March 28, 2020 - Croatian libraries may have closed their doors, but that doesn’t mean you have to stop reading. A look at the e-book collections available around Croatia.

Looking for more ways to pass the time at home? Croatian libraries have you covered. While their doors may be closed during the coronavirus crisis in Croatia, you can still explore a variety of book collections from the comfort of your home, thanks to the e-books made available.

Here’s a look a part of the offer in Croatia’s three largest cities -  Zagreb, Split, and Rijeka.

Zagreb

The National and University Library in Zagreb is allowing everyone interested in heritage and collections of other heritage institutions in Croatia to explore exhibitions as part of the Library’s online exhibitions portal. Three of the exhibitions are available in English (Croatian Glagolitic Heritage, Marko Marulić and Faust Vrančić) and one in German (Marko Marulić).

“The exhibitions present valuable digitised heritage using an interactive approach, while their varied dynamic additional content, such as quizzes and jigsaw puzzles, is aimed at bringing that heritage closer to younger generations. Coordinated by the Library’s Croatian Digital Library Development Division, operating as part of the Croatian Institute for Librarianship, several Library’s departments participate in the preparation of the exhibitions. Technical support is provided by the Library’s IT Department, and, as of recently, the Blue Factory IT company, participating as an outside collaborator,” the National and University Library said on its website.

You can also find a list of digital collections, from old Croatian journals to historic newspapers here. Visit the National and University Library website.

Split

The Marko Marulic Split City Library has recently introduced e-books, making it easy for users to read while library departments are closed.

Those interested will have to download the mobile app ZaKi Book, which is available for free download through the Google Play, Apple store and Microsoft store online. Reading is thus available on Android, iOs and Windows 10 devices.

The application is logged in with a membership number and PIN.
Users can borrow the e-book for 21 days, without the possibility to extend. A member has the right to rent two titles at a time, or a maximum of five titles within one calendar month. The e-books can be read on four devices at a time.

If you do not have a PIN, please contact GKMM by email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., send your first name, last name and ID number and you will receive it as soon as possible. Visit the Marko Marulic Library website.

Rijeka

While measures are underway to protect and prevent the spread of coronaviruses, the Rijeka City Library is closed until April 14. But thanks to modern technology, library users can also rent books through the ZaKi Book app. There are more than 700 titles available, and there are currently 587 members using the application. The City Library also reports that 1,236 rentals have been made so far: in January 214, in February 446, and in March, for the time being, 576. 

The five most-read e-books so far are: "The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Recognize, Understand, and Use the Gift of High Sensitivity" by Elaine A. Aaron, "A Gentleman in Moscow" by Amor Towles, "My Not-So-Perfect Life" by Sophie Kinsela, "Anatomy of Love: A Natural History of Mating, Marriage, and Why We Stray" by Helen Fisher and "20 Steps Forward" by Jorge Bucay. As the director Niko Cvjetkovic pointed out, the Rijeka librarians are active on the web and have prepared a list of recommendations for journalism and fiction, reports Novi List.

Visit the Rijeka City Library website.

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January 21, 2020 - The National and University Library in Zagreb is often found in the news these days: in addition to it being the headquarters of the Croatian EU Presidency, today a new Digital Laboratory was opened there.

The idea is for it to be the centre of the digital revolution in the Croatian libraries, and during the opening ceremony, a new mobile application called Smart Library was presented, which serves as a smart guide through the library area.

The Digital Laboratory is located in a part of the library dedicated exclusively to it, and it was originally founded in 2019 to help citizens find the creative use of the digital technologies and digital content of the library. Tatijana Petrić, the Director-General of the Library said that they've been working on the projects of digitalisation for a while and that the establishment of the Digital Laboratory is just another of the steps towards further opening of the Library to the needs of the modern user.

The libraries remain the important cell of the development of the modern society of the 21st century if they manage to bridge the digital void. This project is based on the numerous examples of the library laboratories from Europe and the world, including the Library of Congress in Washington, British National Library, Harvard University Library and many others. Petrić highlighted the experiences of the first Digital Laboratory in Croatia, founded by the Rijeka Library, tportal writes.

Dragana Koljenik, the manager of the Digital Laboratory said that its opening is the culmination of the enthusiasm of mostly young people who work at the Library, who invested their skill, energy and time into the idea for a year. Koljenik added that they wanted to develop in various directions while showing that their capital is different than what can be bought and sold on the market, but equally important in a balanced society. The Laboratory operates on three basic levels: as a service, educational and developmental. That means that it offers services such as 3D printing to its users, education, workshops and lectures, using the computer equipment to study or create something.

The Smart Library project is the mobile application for the library's users, which serves as a prototype of the application of the IoT technologies within a library. The idea of the project is to create the basis for the development of a smart library. The application contextualises the 36.5 thousand square meters of space within the Library and makes sense connecting the 22 locations with 22 services offered to their users.