Abstract
The paper describes the PULMAN Thematic Network, which was funded by the European Commission and undertook a variety of activities intended to help strengthen the performance and achieve the potential of public libraries in new economic, social and cultural roles. Its main goal was to promote a Europe-wide exchange of knowledge, experience and good practice. The project's main activities are outlined: guidelines on digital services were compiled and translated into over 20 languages: National Workshops were organized in each participating country, and in many cases the conclusions reached and actions planned have proved to be an important catalyst for new developments: Country Reports on public libraries were compiled for every country as an aid to benchmarking, and the highlights of the reports are listed in the paper. The project culminated in the Action Plan proposed at the policy conference held in Oeiras, Portugal, in March 2003.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.