ELSIA - Expert Group European Libraries and Sustainable Development Implementation and Assessment

EBLIDA has created the ELSIA (European Libraries and Sustainable development Implementation and Assessment) Expert Group dealing with the implementation and of the 2030 Agenda in European libraries.

Aims and goals

• To advice the EBLIDA Executive Committee in devising a European policy on SDGs through the implementation of projects, policies and indicators;
• To find the appropriate links between the European Structural and Investment Funds 2021-2027 and SDGs in national contexts, thus promoting further funding opportunities in the library field;
• To encourage the setting up and the establishment of proper methodologies for the assessment of SDG projects in libraries, in addition to current collection-oriented quantitative library measurement;
• To disseminate ELSIA-EG results through awareness, evaluation and training activities.

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Members of ELSIA

Chair

Alicia Sellés Carot Spain Federación Española de Sociedades de Archivística, Biblioteconomía, Documentación y Museística - FESABID

Members

• Nadezhda Grueva (Bulgaria)    
• Eliška Bartošová (Czech Republic) 
• Steffen Nissen (Denmark)
• Christophe Evans (France)
• Raphaëlle Bats (France)
• Ulla Wimmer (Germany)
• Spyros Koulouris (Greece)
• Iro Tzorbatzaki (Greece)
• Rossana Morriello (Italy)
• Chiara Faggiolani (Italy)
  
• Kristine Deksne (Latvia)
• Marjolein Oomes (Netherlands)
• Agnes Erich (Romania)

 

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Background

A new political framework is needed to include the "social" and the digital library as a result of library policy in the post-pandemic age. This framework can be identified in the UN Sustainable Development Goals and, in Europe, the EU 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development.

The EU 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is slightly different from that of the UN in terms of goals, indicators and implementation of EU project [Implementing Sustainable Development Goals in Europe].

European libraries can rattle off figures and statistics concerning the annual number of library visitors and transactions – this is certainly useful to show the volume of their business. However, the best way to advocate for libraries and to convince politicians and policy-makers of how relevant they are for the socio-cultural and economic development of a country or a region, is to show the extent of the impact of libraries on sustainability, well-being, and GDP Indexes - at European, national and/or local level.

EBLIDA has produced a number of documents related to the European 2030 Agenda on sustainable development (the list is below). Three European Think The Unthinkable (TTU. A post-Covid library agenda meeting sustainable development goals to be funded through European Structural and Investment Funds) workshops were organised. EBLIDA members ensured TTU follow-ups at national level in France (24 November 2020), Netherlands (25 January 2021), Italy (January 2021), more TTU workshops are being organised in Latvia and Greece and will be held presumably in March-April 2021.

Since ELSIA activities may impact on library policy and planning, the ELSIA Expert Group will meet EGIL and LIBLEG experts regularly in order to bring in-field experience in the work undertaken by the two other groups and, vice versa, to get direction on issues which may have an impact on library legislation, policy and other information laws. The three groups should routinely make their minutes and any relevant papers available to each other so they are aware of decisions taken and of further action to be undertaken.

Documents:

The Report "Think the unthinkable - A post Covid-19 European Library Agenda meeting Sustainable Development Goals and funded through the European Structural and Investment Funds (2021-2027)"
(available in four versions).

In Italian:

"Pensare l’impensabile - Un’Agenda bibliotecaria europea post-Covid 19 finalizzata alla realizzazione degli obiettivi di sviluppo sostenibile e finanziata attraverso i Fondi Strutturali e di Investimento Europei (2021- 2027)"; and:

I Fondi Strutturali e di Investimento Europei (FSIE) 2021-2027: Finanziare le biblioteche per progetti di sviluppo sostenibile

In French:

Les Fonds Européens Structurels et d’Investissement (FESI) 2021-2027: opportunités de financement pour les bibliothèques

They add to the literature currently available in different languages:

 

Danish:

Hvad gjorde Europas biblioteker under Covid-19?, Perspektiv, Nr 7.

Dutch:

SDG’S en Europese bibliotheken, META nummer 2020/6

Italian:

Nuove opportunità di sviluppo per le biblioteche europee, Biblioteche oggi, Settembre 2020

Dutch/French:

Preparing a European library agenda for the post-CoViD-19 age. Bladen voor documentatie = Cahiers de la documenation. https://www.abd-bvd.be/fr/publications/cahiers-de-la-documentation/ (in print).

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