On November 6, 2024 the Resourcing Libraries (RL:EU) project partners presented policy recommendations developed to support Europe’s public libraries in accessing EU resources during a policy event in the Muntpunt Library, Brussels. This event was attended by 45+ library representatives from all over Europe, as part of the event ‘Building Bridges: Libraries for a Sustainable Future’, a two-day meeting aimed at facilitating library advocacy towards the new Members of the European Parliament.
Shaping the policy recommendations: survey on library needs in Europe
The policy recommendations were developed based on an EU-wide survey on library needs in Europe, as well as feedback from various project activities. In order to gain a better understanding of the current library context and the barriers that libraries face in accessing EU funding, the RL:EU project launched an EU-wide survey on library needs among public libraries in Europe. The feedback and insights provided by the 160+ survey respondents across the European library sector were crucial to helping identify the areas where the RL:EU partners can support Europe’s public libraries to access EU funding in order to fund their adult education programmes and strategies. The survey results were complemented by feedback from participants of RL:EU project activities and partner observations.
Some key takeaways from the survey:
- 65.8% of library professionals responding to the survey claim to understand that libraries need to become more community oriented and, therefore, have a need for funds and events organised in libraries.
- 94.8% of library professionals responding to the survey would like to build their competences on project management and European projects.
- 61% of library professionals responding to the survey have never received training in project management.
RL:EU Recommendations for EU policy initiatives supporting libraries
Policy initiatives and targeted support at EU level can help public libraries to unlock the potential of European funding and other resources.The RL:EU project presents a set of recommendations for EU policy initiatives at EU level for public libraries around three main axes:
- Transversal contribution of public libraries to deliver on key EU policy priorities
- Facilitation of access of public libraries to EU resources
- Support for public libraries to connect and exchange at EU level
Curious to read more?
Download and read the full policy recommendations and one-pager summary.
This article was first published on the RL:EU website.