As we bid farewell to 2024, we’re looking back on a full year of projects, collaborations, and growth. Here’s a snapshot of what we accomplished together.
Connect
Our community has continued to expand, both at local and European level. As a Brussels-based organisation, we placed an emphasis on developing strong connections with local public libraries in Brussels (both French and Flemish speaking). In June, we partnered with Muntpunt Library to host an ‘RL:EU Breakfast Session’, bringing together both French and Flemish speaking Brussels libraries (as well as the north of France!) to present funding opportunities at European level, and discuss the common challenges they face in accessing funding.
Our community-building efforts extend to our work in EU projects. For example, as part of the European Citizen Science (ECS) project, we gathered public libraries taking part in the project in Ljubljana in October for two days of exchanges and reflections on the role of public libraries as hubs for citizen science and engagement.
At the core of PL2030’s work is our Lighthouse Libraries network, whose achievements and initiatives we continue to spotlight in our monthly newsletter. This year, we re-launched our Lighthouse Session series, where we invited library professionals from the Lighthouse Libraries network for a one hour online session to present the outcomes of the FEPL project. In November, we hosted members of the Lighthouse Libraries group in Brussels to discuss and exchange on the evolution and direction of this important community.
Innovate
Projects have kept us busy throughout the year! In 2024, we had 4 projects running on a variety of topics, including digital skills and citizen science: ADELE, Resourcing Libraries (RL:EU), European Citizen Science (ECS), and the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform (DSJP). Two of these projects wrapped up this year: ADELE in February and RL:EU in November.
Notable highlights from the project include:
- The publication of the RL:EU Workbook ‘Unlocking EU resources for public libraries: A practical guide to accessing EU funding’, which is designed to be a comprehensive guide in navigating the complex landscape of EU grants and resources tailored for public libraries.
- In April, we hosted the Resourcing Libraries (RL:EU) Conference on Digital Upskilling in Libraries, bringing together over 100 library professionals from all over Europe both online and in person in Lisbon’s Torre do Tombo National Archives in the context of the Annual EBLIDA Conference.
- Throughout 2024, the 10 public libraries taking part in the ECS project organised community events to raise awareness and bring citizen science to their local residents. Read what the public libraries in Finland, Latvia, Slovenia, and Poland got up to!
- The 5th edition of the European Digital Skills Awards 2024 was held in July, recognising the work of organisations and initiatives dedicated to supporting the advancement of digital skills in Europe. With over 250 project applications, the 5 winners of the awards ranged from public-private partnerships to local grassroots efforts, as well as citizen groups.
Advocate
We continued championing library interests and potential, demonstrating to policymakers and stakeholders the importance of public libraries to achieving key European priorities. We’ve done this through the publication of key resources, policy recommendations and election manifestos, joint advocacy efforts with EBLIDA and NAPLE, as well as the organisation of advocacy events in the European Parliament!
In November, we gathered over 70 library professionals from across Europe for a two- day advocacy and networking event ‘Building Bridges: Libraries for a Sustainable Future’ in the European Parliament, co-hosted by EP Vice-President Sabine Verheyen and EP Quaestor Marc Angel. This successful event provided an opportunity to demonstrate to over 40 newly elected MEPs how public libraries build a sustainable future for Europe through access to culture, civic engagement, and inclusive innovation.
In addition to this, we collaborated with partners in the sector on:
- Our annual Public Libraries & Skills factsheets, compiling key statistics on European public libraries for 2022.
- Publishing a Joint Manifesto for the 2024 EU elections together with EBLIDA, IFLA, LIBER, and NAPLE, calling on candidates for the EP elections to ensure libraries realise their potential to build a stronger, fairer, more sustainable Europe.
- Publishing a set of RL:EU policy recommendations to support public libraries across Europe in accessing EU resources, based on insights from an EU-wide survey on library needs.
Exciting projects on the horizon
As we step into the new year, we’re excited to build on this year’s successes. We are thrilled to announce that we successfully applied for several projects, which will kick-start in 2025: Make-a-thek (Horizon Europe), EscLib (Erasmus+), DigLib (Erasmus+), and EMIF. Look out for the new projects starting this year!