Purpose With the exponential growth of the amount of data, the most sophisticated systems of traditional libraries are not able to fulfill the demands of modern business and user needs. The purpose of this paper is to present the possibility of creating a Big Data smart library as an integral and enhanced part of the educational system that will improve user service and increase motivation in the continuous learning process through content-aware recommendations. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents an approach to the design of a Big Data system for collecting, analyzing, processing and visualizing data from different sources to a smart library specifically suitable for application in educational institutions. Findings As an integrated recommender system of the educational institution, the practical application of Big Data smart library meets the user needs and assists in finding personalized content from several sources, resulting in economic benefits for the institution and user long-term satisfaction. Social implications The need for continuous education alters business processes in libraries with requirements to adopt new technologies, business demands, and interactions with users. To be able to engage in a new era of business in the Big Data environment, librarians need to modernize their infrastructure for data collection, data analysis, and data visualization. Originality/value A unique value of this paper is its perspective of the implementation of a Big Data solution for smart libraries as a part of a continuous learning process, with the aim to improve the results of library operations by integrating traditional systems with Big Data technology. The paper presents a Big Data smart library system that has the potential to create new values and data-driven decisions by incorporating multiple sources of differential data.