The European Union has fully adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It is investing an incredible amount of money in sustainable development, as never before. All EU programmes and actions are being adapting to meet SDGs.

Are libraries on the right track to sustainable development? 

Sustainable development is an opportunity to raise the status of libraries in all European countries and to revitalise them with new and refreshing activities. In other words, this is the moment to think the unthinkable.

EBLIDA workshops on 13, 14 and 16 October 2020 are based on the Think The Unthinkable report, which includes topics such as library activities during the Covid-19 crisis that are likely to continue, best SDG practices in European libraries, and funding opportunities through the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) 2021-2027.

Contributors to the workshop are the Members of the EBLIDA Executive Committee. They will expand upon the impact of Covid 19 on libraries, on future investments in libraries and ways of funding them. 

All libraries may be potential recipients of ESI Funds. Non-EU libraries included in the Council of Europe geographic area, too, may benefit from ESI Funds through the EU Interreg programmes. This is the reason why we hope that EBLIDA Members can replicate these workshops and organise TTU webinars at national level. National workshops are being organised, for instance, in Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands and other countries on request. 

We wish to strengthen our forces towards common objectives and transition to a post-Covid library age. Each workshop will be divided into three parts.

The first part is dedicated to the post-Covid 19 library. Activities run by libraries during the Covid-19 crisis branched into two different directions: a socially inclusive library, when libraries organised the production of face masks, food distribution together with book deliveries, community calls for people left behind or marginalised. The digital library also boomed, in particular in public libraries: where books were not delivered, they were replaced by e-books.

The EBLIDA First European report on Sustainable development and European libraries will be the focus of the second contribution. The lively participation of European libraries in the implementation of SDGs is a sign that libraries can go one step further in advocacy and that, beyond stories, their 2030 Agenda can explore a more advanced narrative of policies and indicators. As Wimmer rightly points out, there is a need to go beyond grassroots involvement and enthusiasm and to start with well-defined policies – and some states have already started to do so.  

And finally, during the workshop, EBLIDA will provide free of charge consultancy work to EBLIDA Members on how to access ESI Funds. ESI Funds are the way in which cutting-edge EU programmes are applied on a national basis. ESI Funds are European, but they are “given back” to Member States (and also neighbouring States through the Interreg programmes), in order to pursue cohesion objectives. Relevant ESI Funds for libraries are the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) and the ESF+ (European Social Fund Plus). 

More details: http://www.eblida.org/eblida-online-meetings-2020/eblida-online-workshops-2020.html 

Αγαπητοί συνάδελφοι,

Ακολουθεί κείμενο από τον Πρόεδρο της EBLIDA, κ. G. Vitiello στο οποίο υπάρχει ένα ερωτηματολόγιο για την αναγκαιότητα των δημοσίων / δημοτικών βιβλιοθηκών και τα νέα τους καθήκοντα. Είναι ολιγόλεπτο και παρακαλείσθε να το συμπληρώσετε.

Η προθεσμία για τις απαντήσεις λήγει την Τετάρτη 9 Σεπτεμβρίου 2020.

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Dear EBLIDA Members,

I am fully aware that end July is not the most appropriate time to carry out surveys but this survey seems to me important since it may raise the status of European libraries within the EU Urban Agenda.

The Section for Libraries and European Funding of the Culture Department in the Berlin City Administration approached us and asked for support for an action that they have been preparing.

It is planned that the action will take place in 2021 and 2022 with the following activities:
Action 13: Raise awareness for public libraries and their new tasks on a European and National Level

1)  Document Analysis on Public Libraries

The action suggests an analysis of documents and funding guidelines published by institutions such as the European Commission (e.g. funding proposals), the Council of the European Union (e.g. Council Conclusions) and the European Parliament (e.g. reports on regulation proposals of the Commission) to get an overview of missed opportunities and to focus on and to exploit the potential of the cultural institution “Public library” concerning urban development and social cohesion.

As a result, a paper is to be presented which points out what role libraries could play in various policy fields and topics and how their potential can be used at the European level.

2)  Survey and Analysis of Financial Funding for Change Processes in Public Libraries

We propose a survey among cities focussing on the resources of public libraries. The guiding questions are “What are the sources of financing and funding for big change processes in public libraries in Europe? How do public libraries use those funds? Are there any European funds used already by public libraries to walk new paths and follow innovative approaches?”

The aim is to gain knowledge about financial sources and opportunities to modernize and innovate, libraries and to identify, where EU funding may be needed to complement already existing national and local programs, thus broadening the recognition of public libraries at a European level.

3)  Web/Community Page on Modern Libraries as “Third Places”

The aim is to introduce, spread knowledge about and foster inspiration on best practice examples about “third places” and advanced libraries in Europe to support mostly (but not only) public libraries becoming a place for the entire urban society, which contributes to social integration. The action proposes the creation of a community page, maybe a website, where examples of third places in libraries from all over Europe are presented.
https://ec.europa.eu/futurium/en/culturecultural-heritage/action-13-raise-awareness-public-libraries-and-their-new-tasks-europhttps://ec.europa.eu/futurium/en/culturecultural-heritage/action-13-raise-awareness-public-libraries-and-their-new-tasks-european-and

The survey will close on 9 September 2020 and only if the proposed action receives sufficient support, it will be included in the Urban Agenda for the EU. In order to take part in the voting, please click here: https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/CultureAction13

Action 13: Raise awareness for public libraries and their new tasks on a European and National Level
https://ec.europa.eu/futurium/en/culturecultural-heritage/action-13-raise-awareness-public-libraries-and-their-new-tasks-european-and

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me!

Giuseppe Vitiello

Director, EBLIDA