These shadow plays are thought to have originated in Southeast Asia and were brought over to Turkey with migrants from Central Asia to Anatolia.

The performances play out behind a white screen with puppets or "tasvir" appearing in silhouette. Each "tasvir" is made out of camel or water buffalo hide and are animated by rods.

More information.

TURKISH FILM FOCUS: POSTER ART

Film fans can get their fill of Turkish film history through this exciting exhibition of film posters. From its humble beginnings in 1908 through to today’s flourishing Turkish film industry, there’s an exciting array of art work on offer to satisfy every cinemagoer’s curiosity.

Though Turkish cinema experienced a lull during the War of independence, the later collaboration with Muhsin Ertuğrul and Kemal Film saw a flurry of activity. An array of posters publicising this period, from films such as Ateşten Gömlek, Halıcıkız, Ankara Postası, Ayastefanos'taki Rus Abidesinin Yıkılışı and Aysel Yahut Bataklı Damın Kızı, is also on offer.

Mor information.

MAKING THE MOST OF MANUSCRIPTS

Manuscripts make up the most important sources of our cultural heritage. The following are just some examples of the Turkish Libraries most treasured posessions. All examples are displayed in our dedicated manuscript museum.

Picture of Masnawi

Rumi, Mevlana Celaleddin, Masnawi

Mesnevi was written by the world-famed Mevlânâ Celâleddin Rûmî. This copy was produced in Herat in 18th century. It was inscribed on silk paper, in Nesih calligraphy, at Herat in the 18th century. The lacquered binding bears a medallion miniature of the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ. The back cover is decorated with an engraving of Hz.Mevlana and Sems-i Tebriz. The Divan consist of six volumes.

Picture of The Koran

The Koran

Calligraphied in the nesih style of the Mullah Muhammad Cevâd b. Fazl Alî b. Cafer, this manuscript is written on silk paper in Arabic. It has silk paper leaves bearing exquisite deep blue illuminations, with Persian commentaries in the margins. Chapters, prostration marks, bordures, corner marks are illuminated in red and deep blue, while lines are separated in gold gilts. The binding is in velvet and it’s encased in an original binding.

Picture of Bible

Bible

This work called Ge’ez was written on parchment in Ethiopian. Subject headings are in red. It is an ancient and rare manuscript composed of 169 leaves. The text is about prayers and hymns of Prophet David. The binding is of wood and its condition is good. It can be said that the work belongs to the second half of the 19th century.

Picture of Marifet-name

Hakki Erzurumi, Ibrahim, Marifet-name

Mârifet-nâme was written by İbrahim Hakkı Erzurûmî; it includes both religious and scientific subjects, such as commentary, hadiths (saying of Prophet Muhammed), Islamic laws, physics, chemistry, mathematics and astronomy, all brought together as an encyclopedic work k. It has cardboard brown leather binding decorated with a rosette on the covers and chain-patterns all around. The text includes many figures, tables, maps and geometric drawings. The National Library owns a fine copy written in Arabic calligraphy.

Picture of Delailü'l-Hayrat

Ebû Abdullah Muhammed b. Süleyman el-Cuzûlî, Delâ’ilü’l-Hayrât

The full title of the work known as Delâ’il-i Serif written by Ebû Abdullah Muhammed b. Süleyman el-Cuzulî is "Delâ’ilü’l-Hayrât and Şevârikü’l-Envâr fî Zikri’s-Salât alâ’n-Nebiyyi’l-Muhtâr". It is a prayer book. This type of doducment were very much in demand in North Africa and Anatolia. The headline of Delâ’ilü’l-Hayrât, written in Arabic, has colour decorations. Miniatures of Mecca and Medina are painted between the pages of 13b and 14a. The binding has a rosette (şemse), with chain patterned decoration and is made of green leather.

More information.

Eva Štanská, Director of the Centre of Communication, provides a peak at the library’s permanent exhibitions and past highlights.

Architectural Aspirations: The National Libraries New Home:

This permanent exhibition charts the ongoing efforts to create a new base for the National Library. Plans have been afoot since the mid-19th century to create an innovative space for the libraries extensive collections. In 2006 an International Architectural Competition was launched to find an innovative and groundbreaking design.

With over 735 participants and 355 proposals, competition was fierce. Visitors will now get the chance to cast their own critical eye over the winning entry from Future Designs. Unfortunately, there are still no plans to set the successful design in stone, as the new building still hasn’t been given the green light.

Permanent exhibition,The Ground-Floor Corridor

21st Century Visions: Competition Entrants

Architecture admirers and loyal library fans got the chance to check out all the competition entrants at this installation. The temporary exhibition ran from 29th March – 3rd June 2007, at The Klementinum Gallery.

Promo of the winning model 1, Promo of the winning model 2

Jesuits And The Clementinum: 450 Years In Bohemia

This exhibition commemorated the 450th anniversary of the arrival of Jesuits in Bohemia. The exhibited books, archival records, and three-dimensional objects took the visitors back to the beginning of the Jesuit Order and its later expansion throughout Europe and the rest of the world. Jesuit saints as well as eminent members of the order were placed in the spotlight. But special attention was paid to the history of the Czech Province of the Society of Jesus and their links with the Clementinum, the largest and oldest college in Bohemia.

25th April – 15th June 2006, The Klementinum Gallery

The Devil's Bible: The Secrets Of The World’s Biggest Book

Visitors got the chance to marvel at the largest known manuscript in the world at this fascinating exhibition. The work, dating back to the 13th century, was once considered an Eighth Wonder of the World in the Middle Ages. And it’s believed to have taken over twenty years and 160 animal skins to complete the mammoth manuscript.

The books name and existence is intertwined with the mythical antics of a Czech monk. Imprisoned in a monastery, the desperate monk is said to have promised to write the largest manuscript in the world in one night in return for his freedom. When he hadn’t completed it by midnight, legend has it he called on the Devil for support. After this hellish helping hand he included a picture of the Prince of Darkness by way of a thank you. Throughout the centuries the work has continued to be of huge interest to academics and lovers of curiosities alike.

Press release, More info....

Frock Focus: Fashion In Mediaeval Society

This exhibition of sartorial successes and frock failures from the past proved the perfect antidote to the current crop of fashion faux pas. Drawing together the libraries extensive collection of mediaeval manuscript illustrations, the public had the chance to peruse what everyone from royal to a rogue would have been wearing through the 11th-16th centuries.

As well as peaking at what was hot and what was not, visitors were also treated to replicas of period costumes thanks to project partners the J.A Museum of Comenius in Uhersky Brod and Barrandov Studio a.s – Fundus Division, Prague.

27th November 2008–1st March 2009 - The Klementinum Gallery.

Amadis de Gaula: Five Hundred Years of Heroes:

There’s nothing like a tale of chivalry to counter the credit crunch crisis. Visitors to the Amadis de Gaula exhibition were treated to a tour of this enduring Spanish literary genre. Five hundred years of chivalric tales from the late 15th to the 17th century were on show, from its most famous incarnation, Don Quixote, to more obscure manuscripts, prints and even an array of armor.

María Luisa Cuenca García, Head of Diffusion Area, explains why the movement has proved so enduring: "The exhibition was organised to commemorate the 500th Anniversary of the first known edition of Amadis de Gaula, printed in Zaragoza in 1508. As well as getting a good grounding in the genre, visitors got a chance to get to grips with the mediaeval background to the tales."

"This distinctively Spanish literary genre has proved a huge success across Europe over the centuries because of its universal themes of friendship, love and heroism. And even contemporary Spanish writers like Mario Vargas Llosa, acknowledge the influence of this great genre in their work."

The "Copla": Celebrating Spanish Song

The "copla", a quintessentially Spanish musical genre combining music, lyrics and virtuosity, has a rich history covering the whole of the 20th century. This exhibition aims to highlight how the music has infiltrated different cultural cliques with displays covering everything from musical scores, cinema programmes and show bills to covers of vinyl records, CDs, videos and DVDs. Various stars from the scene from La Argentinita to Plácido Domingo are also featured.

At the BNE from February 3rd to April 12th, 2009

Malaria: Man Against Mosquito

Man’s battle with malaria dates back many centuries and this exhibition aims to highlight the impact and ongoing attempts to eradicate this devastating disease. Drawings, posters, photos and audiovisuals are just some of the information on hand to illustrate its effect on society and the curious can even uncover attempts at ancient cures.

At the BNE from March 17th to June 14tth 2009

Architectural Advances: Plans and Projects from the 18th Century

The public gets a chance to celebrate all things architectural as the BNE uncovers its collection of over 700 architectural drawings from the 18th century. And if you didn’t just want to set your sites on Spanish plans and projects, it’s also possible to peruse some fascinating French and Italian designs.

The exhibition delves in to developments from the Baroque tradition to the rising popularity of the Neoclassical style in Spain and Europe with everything from royal sites (including Madrid's Palacio Real) to public works getting covered. And if you want to know more about the people and practice behind the plans, the exhibition opens up everything from architecture teaching at the Academia de Bellas Artes to how Spanish architects have been influenced by the ruins of Rome and the ancient world. If that wasn’t in depth enough there’s even a section dedicated to the architecture workshop -from treatises to the tools of the trade.

At the BNE from September-November 2009

Kings, Cartography and Culture: The Globes of Louis XIV Exhibition

The Bibliothèque nationale de France is offering the public a rare chance to catch a glimpse of the magnificent globes of Louis XIV. In their latest exhibition visitors can view the stunning spheres at close quarters as well as discovering the incredible story behind their amazing images. With details on the history of the period and progress in geographical sciences, the exhibition promises to be both a visual and educational treat.

Hélène Richard, Curator of the exhibition and Head of Maps department at the BnF, explains: "Vincenzo Coronelli, a Franciscan monk, was commissioned to produce the globes by Cardinal d’Estrée for King Louis XIV. These Globes, made in 1681 and 1683, are almost four metres in diameter and each one weighs 1,500 kg. On the one hand they represent the glory of the King and symbolize his supernatural mission and on the other hand, they embody scientific knowledge in the late 17th century."

"The 17th century had a unique connection with technical knowledge. The advances made in measuring devices, astronomy and mathematics led to significant changes in the science of cartography. One globe shows the terrestrial world, while the other shows the sky on the night of Louis XIV’s birth."

"The BnF has held these Globes for three hundred years. Following the destruction of their original home at the famous Parisian 'Salon des Globe’ they had been stored in packing cases. Their exhibition in the West Hall finally offers the opportunity for a wider public to discover these artistic and scientific treasures."

Children’s Choice: The Tour of Europe in 27 Picture Books Exhibition

This exhibition takes the visitor on a virtual tour through some of Europe’s best and brightest children’s literature. The 27 books on display (one for each country) highlight the remarkable talent of local authors and illustrators, while reflecting the historical and cultural background of each country.

Nathalie Beau, Curator of the exhibition, International section for youth Edition, Literature and Art department, BnF, sheds light on this literary event: "It was created with the cooperation of 27 European countries to coincide with the series of cultural events organised as part of the French Presidency of the European Union."

"Along with "Tour d’Europe", the BnF is also behind the ‘Babar, Harry Potter et Cie. Livres d'enfants d'hier et d'aujourd'hui’ (‘Babar, Harry Potter and Co. Children’s books from yesterday and today’) exhibition which offers an amazing voyage through some 370 works from 4 centuries of Children’s literature, ranging from ancient treasures to contemporary books."

The National and University Library celebrates the 100th anniversary of the birth of Miško Kranjec, the storyteller from Prekmurje. Kranjec created one of the most comprehensive oeuvres in Slovenia.

During his life, Kranjec published more than 50 books, mainly novels, short stories, tales and essay writings. Even though his literary views - often mixed with the current political issues - became out-of-date after 1945, and later they were also in conflict with modernism, Kranjec is still considered to be one of the founders of Social Realism and one of its most prominent Slovenian representatives.

Marijan Rupert, MA, Head, Manuscript and Rare Prints Collections tells us about the Miško Kranjec exhibition: "The NUK prepared the exhibition by selecting his published books, announcements in literary magazines and newspapers and his unique literary archive. During his lifetime, Kranjec transferred his own literary archive to the Manuscript Department at the National and University Library for permanent preservation."

"The literary creativity of Miško Kranjec has become part of the canon of literary history in Slovenia, and numerous literary-theoretical studies have been written about him. Kranjec’s work maintains the memory of key turning points in modern national history. In accordance with the doctrine of Socialist Realism, the aesthetic component remains in the background of Kranjec’s oeuvre."

"The model of Social or Socialist Realism became outdated around 1950. Kranjec’s influence cannot be traced anymore. Nevertheless, it is likely that his magnificent oeuvre has encouraged a number of contemporary authors from Prekmurje, the region where the writer was born, and which he used as a characteristic theme in his work."

"Although literature and fiction, respectively, are often mixed with political and ideological reality, Kranjec is mainly regarded as a writer nowadays. As a social worker he never participated in real politics, but he acted almost exclusively as a publicist in the field of culture"

Find out more on the NUK exhibition page.

The National Library of Ireland (NLI) has assembled unique images from museums, galleries and archives from all over Europe, describing the migration of the Irish populations over two hundred years. Following the wars at the end of the 16th century, soldiers, students, priests, professionals and merchants began to migrate to Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia, Sweden, and elsewhere on continental Europe. Over time, migrants formed communities and eventually integrated into their host societies.

Image of Donal Cam O’Sullivan Beare courtesy of St. Patrick’s College, Maynooth.

The exhibition charts the main phases of migration from Ireland to various parts of the continent. It gives us key insights into why so many people decided to uproot themselves and their families.

Origins of the 17th and 18th century Irish migrations - "Irish migration to Europe in the 17th and 18th century was motivated by a complex set of factors" says Dr Thomas O’Connor from the Department of History, National University of Ireland Maynooth. Dr O’Connor is the curator of the exhibition, together with Dr Marian Lyons of St Patrick’s College, Dublin. "The dislocation caused by war was important. This is especially true of the earlier period, as the Tudor and later the Stuart state made inroads into traditional Gaelic society and into the relatively independent towns and their hinterlands, which were dominated by Catholics of Anglo-Norman descent. Religious persecution and lack of domestic economic opportunity also played a part, as did sheer wanderlust."

Migration to continental Europe versus the 19th and 20th century migration to America, Australia and elsewhere - "The migration to continental Europe had complex political and religious origins, typical of the early modern period" adds Dr O’Connor. "It differed significantly from the much larger migration to America, Australia and elsewhere in the 19th and 20th centuries, which was principally economically motivated, fuelled by rapid population growth and accelerated by food shortages, especially the famine of 1845-50. Later migrants were predominantly from poorer backgrounds, whereas the earlier migrants, though far fewer in number, were drawn from all levels of society, including members of the noble, intellectual and ecclesiastical elite. Earlier migration also took the Irish into new linguistic and cultural zones whereas the later migrants tended to congregate in English-speaking countries linked to the British Empire.

The true stories of people who emigrated adds further colour to the exhibition.

NLI exhibition content - "The NLI structured the exhibition around a number of individuals like Florence Conry and Mary Louise Murphy" points out Thomas O’Connor. "Their experiences serve as a doorway to the networks and institutions in which they moved and lived. Through networks like the Irish colleges, the Irish regiments and Irish commercial houses, the exhibition visitor is led back to the historical sources. These are presented in biographical databases, housed in a specially designed exhibition kiosk, and in the archival, pictorial and artefactual evidence gathered by the exhibition researchers and presented virtually via multimedia screens and physically in cases."

Find out more on The NLI exhibition page - Strangers to Citizens: the Irish in Europe, 1600-1800. The exhibition opened 12 December 2007 and runs throughout 2008.

Aeroflot - Russian Airlines – celebrates its 85th anniversary. The Russian State Library, along with the Russian State Archive of Social and Political History, the Aeroflot Museum, the New Gallery Arts Fund and the "Contact-Culture" publishing house presents a unique exhibition featuring the history of Aeroflot in more than 60 posters. The collection provides colourful anecdotes depicting Aeroflot’s commercial and promotional campaigns over the years.

Aeroflot has become one of the most popular and successful commercial airlines; it represents Russia’s entire historical air transportation industry. However, its definitive branding was only adopted in 1932 following a number of previous names: "Dobrolyot" (Добролёт), "Rosavaikhim" (Росавиахим) and "Aviakhim" (Авиахим).

In the early days, the company not only transported passengers but also mail and cargo to new east and westbound routes. It also carried out other more unusual tasks, including pest control! Rodents and insects were used in Soviet propaganda as symbols of the "decaying bourgeoisie", so the "fight against pests" had a double meaning. In 1925, The Society of Friends of Chemical Defence and Chemical Industry, "Dobrokhim" set up by Leon Trotsky, merged with "Dobrolyot"; the main purpose was to "construct a reliable fence of toxic gas to protect the new society"!

During the Khrushchev period however, the fence was lowered and the psychological battle moved to a rather racy field; beautiful Russian air attendants gradually replaced Politburo members on the covers of the popular Ogonyok magazine.>/p>

"The ‘Aeroflot History in Posters’ exhibition has considerable value because of its political nature" says Nina Baburina, arts critic, researcher of the Russian State Library and Soviet period poster expert. "Posters represent one of the most politically loaded genres of fine arts and the chronological sequence of productions dedicated to the ‘homeland wings’ represent an exceptional milestone in the art of propaganda in Russia".

"It is very honourable and a fantastic opportunity for a commercial company of any scale and age to be part of an art exhibition" adds Lev Koshlyakov, Deputy General Director of Aeroflot. "The collected posters that are anchored in Russian history have brought back to the surface an incredibly rich material of forgotten facts and milestones; all these anecdotes give us the experience of a unique ‘aviation carnival’".

Exhibition catalogue available in PDF format at: http://www.pro-act.ru/aeroflothistory.pdf.

The Central Institute for the Union Catalogue of Italian Libraries and for Bibliographic Information (ICCU) is one of the founders of The European Library. As such, it has an excellent track record in partnerships and has considerable experience to pass on to new Full Participants. We have asked Cristina Magliano, Head of the Cataloguing Department, to share her experience and opinion about The European Library and to explain the specific situation of Italy as regards the position of the ICCU, which was founded in order to coordinate the cataloguing activities of the Italian libraries.

The Central Institute for the Union Catalogue of Italian Libraries and for Bibliographic Information (ICCU) was founded in 1951 in Rome. It currently employs 50 people divided in 5 departments. Cristina Magliano joined the ICCU in 1980; she now runs the Cataloguing Department responsible for coordinating and promoting activities such as cataloguing standardisation, bibliographic format (UNIMARC), metadata used in national digitisation projects, etc. Cristina is also involved in several committees, such as the IFLA Permanent UNIMARC Committee and the IFLA Cataloguing Section.

The European Library: "How many people actively collaborate with The European Library in your organisation?"

Cristina Magliano: "5 employees worked for The European Library when it was first launched in 2005. Their tasks very much evolved around deliverables within Work Packages (WP1: Publisher relations, WP3: Metadata and WP4: Interoperability.) At the moment, there are 2 employees working part time for The European Library, one person is our Contacts Working Group representative and the other one is our Technical Working Group representative. The decrease in staff members is due to the fact that people have left the ICCU, either for other jobs or because they were retiring and have not been replaced. Work within the ICCU is very much institutional project dependent."

"The partnership with The European Library is prestigious and very important for us; we promote it through all the conferences we attend and our training programmes. Our participation in The European Technical Working Group gives us the opportunity to share knowledge and experience. It also allows us to develop a cooperative framework for Italians projects based on the model set by The European Library. In "Internet culturale", for example, our Italian portal for cultural heritage, we apply the same technical model. Furthermore, we have established an Italian metadata profile based on The European Library Metadata Registry."

The European Library: "How is the partnership between the ICCU and the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze (BNCF), which stands as a representative of one* of the national libraries of Italy?"

Cristina Magliano: "Our partnership with the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze is very strong. ICCU and BNCF work together on many national and international projects. We cooperate in studies about standards for digitalisation projects, in the "Italian Committee for Metadata Standards" and the BNCF remains our main partner within the SBN, the Italian libraries network coordinated by the ICCU. Many working groups involved in the development of SBN include BNCF and ICCU employees."

(* The other one is the BNCR, Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Roma)

The European Library: "Is the ICCU currently collaborating with other cultural institutions?"

Cristina Magliano: "The ICCU has been involved in many initiatives to work on Italian digital library projects and to develop national coordination in the use of metadata for digital objects description. This has been evident in many different projects of cultural heritage. The MAG Committee, for example, has been set up in collaboration with the most important private and public institutions within the libraries, museums and archives sector. I am personally involved as coordinator for the Italian Committee for Metadata Sstandards and Application within the Cultural Heritage Sector, in which representatives from all three types of organisation are participating. The Committee coordinates metadata implementations in digitisation projects at a national level."

The National Library of Armenia (NLA) will join The European Library as a Full participant in January 2008, along with 7 other National libraries of Europe.

The project FUMAGABA will be managed with financial support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and will run until July 2009. A Sharing Knowledge Workshop, jointly coordinated by the Swiss National Library and The European Library, is scheduled for March 2008; FUMAGABA's objective is to enlarge The European Library full partnership by adding the national libraries of the "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", Ukraine, Moldova, Albania, Georgia, Armenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Azerbaijan.

We have taken this opportunity to ask David Sargsyan, Director of the National Library of Armenia, to report about this collaborative boost for his organisation and the NLA’s cooperation programme in general. David joined the NLA as Director in 1998 and currently manages 360 people in the library.

David Sargsyan: "The partnership established between the National Library of Armenia and The European Library is, of course, very important to our organisation. The NLA has been a member of CENL since 2006, when it started its cooperation with The European Library as a Basic Participant. Joining as a Full Participant from January 2008 will be a great opportunity for us. It will expand our already existing programmes of cooperation across Europe and Asia; the NLA has been a member of IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations and institutions) since 2007, and the Library Assembly of Eurasia, which gives us a collaborative partnership with all Commonwealth of Independent States.

Additionally, the NLA also collaborates closely with the National Library of Iran and the Scientific Technology Library of Iran; the NLA has the password to the server of the Scientific Technology Library of Iran, which allows us to access the scientific information of more than 20 countries collaborating with Iran.

However, our collaborative activities remain within the library environment and the NLA does not have exchange programmes with archives or museums, which are different clusters under the Ministry of Culture of Armenia."

David Sargsyan: "The integration within The European Library as a Full participant is of course prestigious for the NLA; it increases our information field. Additionally, this partnership gives us a good opportunity to preserve both past and present cultural heritage and to improve our cooperation with some of the greatest libraries in Europe. It also gives us responsibilities, which we unfortunately have difficulties handling satisfactorily at the moment."

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The National Széchényi Library (OSZK) joined The European Library as Full Participant* under the TEL-ME-MOR project in July 2006. Adam Horváth, Director of Informatics of the OSZK and their representative in the Technical Working Group in The European Library, describes his activities within his organisation and the OSZK participation to TELplus.

Adam graduated from the Eötvös Loránd University of Budapest M.A. in Hungarian language and literature and library science. He completed a postgraduate course at the International Computer Education and Information Centre as a programmer. Adam became Director of Informatics of the National Széchényi Library in 2001; his solid knowledge of remote data access protocols created an early partnership with The European Library through the TEL-ME-MOR project.

Adam: "Although the library had to cut back on staff in 2007, we still employ about 500 people. In my department I lead 22 people; 5 of them, mainly programmers left the library environment last spring in order to get higher salaries in the private sector and another 2 will leave this autumn. I am not allowed to replace them. This is one of the biggest challenges in my field of work: the library can't compete with the salaries in the commercial environment.

A varying number of people work for The European Library. Work package leaders are assigned to these tasks on a permanent base (but not exclusively). Others are recruited depending on the actual work involved. People assigned to The European Library either permanently or occasionally often do not work for the Information and Computer Technology Department, but rather for the Document Supply Service, the Manuscript Collection, and Reference and Readers' Services."

Adam: "A service can be anything on the Internet: a translation service, an online bookstore, a library catalogue, a digital library, a thesaurus and so on All of which might be related to The European Library portal through bibliographic data. For example the portal may offer a link to a translation service translating an abstract from the search results or may offer a link to an ordering service when the results contain an ISBN field. The main benefit for the end user is that many Internet resources are linked to the catalogue by just one click. Work Package 4 of TELplus aims to develop the technical background to this integration service; this will include, among other things, the possible standardization of service descriptions. A good service description format will allow end users to create their own personalised digital library."

Adam: "The OSZK has collaboration programmes with other national libraries. There are permanent and occasional programmes. The permanent ones include interlibrary loans with several national libraries, book exchange with almost every national library and expert exchange programmes with some of them (the latest exchange programme was launched with the Slovak National Library). The OSZK organizes conferences, exhibitions and publishes books together with other national libraries. The main participants are the Austrian, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian and Russian national libraries. Occasional programmes include working together under the umbrella of different EU funded projects. In the field of informatics we have a good level of cooperation with the national libraries of the Nordic Countries, the National Library of the Netherlands and with many other non-national libraries."

The Cyprus Library joined The European Library as Full participant under TEL-ME-MOR project in January 2007. Antonios Maratheftis, Director of the Library describes this changing phase for the Cyprus Library, its partnership with other national libraries across Europe and its collaborative level with other cultural institutions.

Antonios Maratheftis joined the Cyprus Library in 1999 following four years in the University of Cyprus Library as Librarian, then Acting Director and four years as a Lecturer for the University of Maryland (Heidelberg). Antonios has a Master of Library and Information Science and a [Philosophy] Doctorate (Ph.D.) in Anthropology/Folklore from the University of Texas-Austin.

It implies prestige because of our close cooperation with some of the greatest libraries in Europe but also responsibilities, which we unfortunately have difficulties handling satisfactorily. To fully play our role means to be able to contribute as far as we are concerned and to try to enrich The European Library collections, especially with digital images and material, and this is something that we cannot do without the necessary human resources and proper technological infrastructure.

The Cyprus Library employs 10 people including non-professionals, and has no marketing and research departments or any full-time technical support personnel; if we, despite these difficulties, managed to overcome the obstacles and succeed in making the transition move, then surely any national library can make the step from Basic to Full Participant.

We have occasionally cooperated with the National Library of Greece on various issues in the past and at present with EDLproject and The European Library. We also have cooperated with other colleagues from CENL on various issues such as seeking their valuable insight about copyright or building plans.

The Cyprus Library has cooperated in the past with the State Archives in the field of preservation. A member of the Library staff received practical training in the art of book preservation and even though we now have our own preservation lab. in the Library, we still rely on support and advice from the State Archives staff for the more difficult preservation cases. The Library also has a close working relationship with the University of Cyprus Library. For example, there is cooperation in trying to establish a union catalogue of libraries in Cyprus.

The Russian State Library (RSL) is one of the 24 Basic Participants of The European Library. We interviewed Elena Zimina, Deputy Director of International Communication Department about the RSL partnership with The European Library, with other national libraries across Europe and its collaborative level with Russian cultural institutions.

Elena Zimina joined the RSL in July 2006. She previously worked in the private sector and the American Cultural Centre in Moscow. Elena’s daily activities involve managing the Virtual Reference Service (OCLC) that enables RSL’s staff to broadcast reference questions to library users, and monitoring The European Library collaboration.

Collaborating with The European Library is of course prestigious for the RSL; we regard this partnership as profitable and strategically important. We already promote The European Library through our representative status as Russian State Library; the linking programme for example was a good opportunity for us to promote The European Library on national ground. However, the step towards Full Partnership is unfortunately a financial matter at this point; we hope to be able to join as soon as the situation is economically feasible.

The RSL has an extensive collaboration programme with other national libraries throughout the territory, the ex Soviet Union countries and with Western Europe. The level of collaboration is multiple and goes from expert exchange programmes to book exchange, frame agreements, virtual library projects, etc. The collaboration level with ex Soviet Union countries and the National Library of Russia (NB of Russia) located in Saint-Petersburg is of course facilitated by the common usage of Russian.

The RSL has an agreement with the State Archive on microfilming preservation. However, the level of collaboration is generally focused on exhibition activities. For example the RSL and the German Historical Museum are currently organising the “Art and Propaganda” exhibition featured in Berlin until the end of April. Similarly, the RSL, Tretiakov Art Gallery in Moscow and Artemizia foundation in Italy are involved in the organisation of "Saint Nicholas - Figure and Image, from East to West" - Bari, Italy, Castello Svevo. Last, the exhibition “Russia & the Soviet Union: Art, literature, theatre 1905 -1940” organised in collaboration with Palacco Ducale was held in Genova - Italy from October 2006 until January 2007.

Patrick Peiffer joined the National Library of Luxembourg in 2002 following a Masters in Library & Information Science and a BA in Cultural and Media Studies. He is responsible for digitisation services and 3rd party licensing of content for the national portal.

We obviously deal with multilingualism daily; conversations among colleagues are in Luxembourgish even if the majority of meetings are held in French or English. The BnL website is in French only but the OPAC* catalogue interface and national portal are in 3 languages; French, German and English. Historically, the object catalogue has always been in French, therefore subject queries can only be performed in French. About 2/3rd of BnL’s collections are non-Luxembourg material, most of which is in French, German, English and other European languages. The cataloguing data (metadata) is in the original language for some fields (title) and others are in French like pagination, subject headings, etc.

There are no major technical issues at this point. However, we do need to clarify copyrighting matters in relation with catalogue items. Overall, we are optimistic. We are submitting 3 specific catalogues to The European Library, a Union catalogue starting in 1985 (LU1), a digitised catalogue of non-Luxembourg acquisitions prior to 1985 (LU2) and a Digitised collection (periodicals and reference works – LU3).

The BnL is close to such institutions due to the country’s size obviously. We are currently installing “Digitool” to present digitised archives in a suitable environment for long term preservation. It will provide a constructive approach by offering a set of standards on a national level by the end of 2007. These standards are of course relevant to other institutions involved in digitisation. The BnL is also looking forward to participating in EDL net proposal in order to tighten our collaboration and move forward to actual content integration. (Editors note: EDL net is a thematic network proposal of cultural heritage stakeholders aiming to get agreement on the European digital library under eContentplus programme)

Irmgard represents the KB in The European Library’s Contact Working Group. She joined The National Library of the Netherlands in 2005 after a successful career in the private sector, first for the Netherlands Board of Tourism, then the Dutch Automobile Club and finally KPN, the Dutch National Telecommunication company. Irmgard always worked in the epicentre of strategic communication between customers, ICT and services. She joined the KB to be part of a smaller organisation where management board and executives are closer to their end users. A position she describes below.

The KB is one of the founders of The European Library. The European Library Office location in the KB was a CENL decision. What does hosting “The European Library” in the premises of the KB mean in reality? What is behind the purely obvious space allocation?

The KB focuses strongly on innovation and new technologies. In order to play an active role in today’s digitally minded world, international collaboration is an asset. The electronic depot (e-Depot) established by the KB to keep the national digital publications permanently available provided the KB the opportunity to build up an electronic archive for international scientific publishers. Together with the British Library the KB is a driving force behind the establishment of the Alliance of Permanent Access and its efforts to realise a European organisational infrastructure for the preservation of digital scientific information. Permanent accessibility of digital material demands an ongoing study of methods and techniques to realise digital preservation. In parallel with the development of the e-Depot, the KB has been investing in research in this area for years, and has been deliberately sharing its knowledge and experience with other institutes inside and outside Europe. One example is the participation of the KB in the large European PLANETS project, which creates a framework within which instruments for selecting, planning and executing preservation actions will be developed. Additionally, the KB operates in other sub-areas of information provision as initiator and coordinator of, and participant in, international projects and partnerships. The European Library is a perfect example of this kind of international collaboration. From the KB perspective, any new visitor generated by The European Library web traffic is a bonus as it is part of our widening of visitor sources policy. But they are still small numbers so we have to be careful of the time we invest in the extra workload generated by being a full partner of The European Library. However, we do see The European Library as one of our channels to market and hope to see it build on its current position.

What do you foresee as the possible impact on your department’s scope should The European Library become a European digital library, encompassing museums and archives as well as libraries? How will this affect the existing image of a National Library?

We are at the beginning of a virtual information “revolution” that may affect the role of traditional institutions in general. It is difficult to have any distance. No one can predict the outcomes of a collaboration with organisations like Archives and Museums but I do believe that the more product/market combinations, the better. We need to look to bring our specific library services to end users in various ways and a larger European digital library is of course a seductive option. However, from an organisational prospective, it is only fair to say that libraries are far ahead in terms of digitisation and collaboration programmes. In other words, it is difficult to look behind the project screen right now as we are at the very beginning of a long and complex process. What should be emphasised however is the position of users; would end users benefit from the collaboration of libraries with archives and museums? The library brand has to be watched closely; right now, libraries project the image of quality and reliability for some people, traditional and staid for others. We must comply with changing environment necessities without affecting the quality and reliability values that have made libraries reputation.

The National Library of the Netherlands is currently organizing an exhibition around the usage of magazines throughout the 20th/21st century. How does such a cultural event fit in the KB communication strategy?

The KB is a hybrid research library and has a growing strategy for both physical and digital exhibitions towards informed public (researchers) as well as general public. We opened last year a permanent public exhibition with a collection renewal every 3 months. We also organise every 4 years, an annual public exhibition in order to promote the “unknown” collections of the KB; the “Magazine” exhibition is our latest featured programme. Furthermore, we are re-opening our fully renovated reading rooms in April 2007 and will expand our services towards KB registered visitors. The objective is of course to increase our cultural heritage exposure for the public’s benefit. Although digital has proven to be the future, I strongly believe that there will always be a market for hardcopies and printed material. As a matter of fact, libraries still need to gain positioning in the digital world; currently the digital usage of library resources is mainly restricted to students and researchers. The wider audience has yet to take up digital usage of libraries. It may be that the “google” search generation has not grasped the collection selection understanding. In any case, more services around “Search” warrant much more investigation. Web exhibitions may enter this niche.

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Toomas Schvak is the Project Manager for Work Package 4 of the TEL-ME-MOR project. He joined the National Library of Estonia (NLE) in 2002 after earning his bachelor’s degree of Information Sciences in Tallinn. He was involved in the NLE shift towards the European Library Full Participant membership in January 2006.

What are your current activities within the TEL-ME-MOR project?

My present activities cover two specific grounds, the Estonian side where I work as Research and Development Centre Project Manager and the European side where I work as Coordinator for Work Package 4. WP4 aims to inform the memory institutions of new EU member countries about the financing opportunities offered by the European Commission for research and development. WP4 assignment does require major focus at the moment. The day-to-day activities involve project administration, keeping an eye on finances issues as well as schedule setting.

What is the National Library of Estonia position within the TEL-ME-MOR project?

The Conference Of European National Librarians offered the National Library of Estonia a partnership in late 2003, followed by the Work Package 4 assignment launched in February 2005. Furthermore, the 9th IFLA International Conference held in September 2005 by the NEL has given us the necessary expertise on an international ground to host the TEL-ME-MOR Final Policy Conference in Tallinn (Estonia) between the 18th and 21st of October 2006. The conference titled “The Digital Future of Cultural and Scientific Heritage” is designed around an ambitious programme, providing a forum for discussion of the latest digital library developments in Europe and in the world.

What are your expectations for the Tallinn conference in October?

I’m personally curious about the several debates, one of them being the Copyright outgrowth from the Publishers and from the Librarians points of view. I am also looking forward to hearing about national initiatives outcomes as in Norway, Singapore or India. Finally I am curious about private partner’s cooperation projects development, for example the Oxford-Google digitisation agreement.

How do you forecast the NLE European cooperation in the near future?

The Estonian academic population is rather restricted. We therefore would like to bring our collections to a broader public, and further enlarge The European Library collections to Museums and Archives. The National Library of Estonia will certainly take part of different EDL initiatives in that respect.

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