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<?xml version="1.0" ?> <tei> <teiHeader> <fileDesc xml:id="0"/> </teiHeader> <text xml:lang="en"> <head>The historical concept of cooperation<lb/> across national boundaries<lb/></head> <p>The Nordic region is famous the world over for<lb/> its unusually close cooperation in all aspects of<lb/> life. The five Nordic countries, Denmark,<lb/> Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden,<lb/> cooperate in matters of culture, politics,<lb/> education, and research and in fact in all walks<lb/> of life, and on all levels of society, from<lb/> individual to government. This cooperation has<lb/> its foundations in a long and intertwined history<lb/> and then, after each of the five countries<lb/> became independent, many of their values and<lb/> customs were similar enough to create the<lb/> political will to continue cooperation on a more<lb/> formal level. Practised with a minimum of<lb/> bureaucracy, many people have wondered<lb/> about the reason for this close cooperation,<lb/> while most people in the region just take it for<lb/> granted.<lb/></p> <p>In spite of this close cooperation, the<lb/> relationships have not always been that of<lb/> friendship, but rather of the ruler and the ruled.<lb/> Finland was ruled by Sweden, Iceland lost its<lb/> independence to Norway and later both<lb/> Norway and Iceland came under Danish rule.<lb/> Norway was later handed over to Sweden and<lb/> for a while Finland was ruled by Russia. It was<lb/> not until the twentieth century that the five<lb/> countries were separated into their original<lb/> form of nations. Since then, there has been<lb/> relatively peaceful co-existence among the five<lb/> countries. The century-old unions resulted in a<lb/> comparable legislation, administration, social<lb/> life and religion, and many other aspects of life<lb/> were coordinated.<lb/></p> <p>During the middle of the nineteenth century a<lb/> strong movement of``of``Scandinavianism''<lb/> surfaced among the cultural circles which<lb/> aimed at reconciling the nationalistic ideas and<lb/> promoting a supranational solidarity among the<lb/> people in the region who had so much common<lb/> history and culture. Professionals followed this<lb/> trend as early as 1839, when Nordic natural<lb/> scientists had their first common meeting and<lb/> other professional groups followed. Next to<lb/> follow was the Nordic Folk High School<lb/> Movement and students from all the Nordic<lb/> countries attended these schools.<lb/></p> <p>The Norden Association was founded in<lb/> 1919-1924, and today it operates in about 500<lb/> chapters with about 100,000 members. The<lb/> members of these associations are interested in<lb/> maintaining strong relationships within the<lb/> Nordic region. Much of the cooperation is<lb/> based on personal contacts and friendships of<lb/> people with common interests.<lb/></p> <p>The first effort to formalize the cooperation<lb/> already existing was on the cultural level. The<lb/> Nordic Cultural Commission was established in<lb/> 1946 to serve as a joint governmental agency for<lb/> initiation of new projects, consultation, and<lb/> research in the cultural field. The Commission<lb/> consisted of ten members, two from each<lb/> country. The Commission operated in three<lb/> sections: higher education and research; general<lb/> education; and other cultural activities. Issues<lb/> discussed included a common Nordic book-<lb/>market to increase the availability of Nordic<lb/> books in each country. In 1961, the Helsinki<lb/> Agreement was signed, which detailed the areas<lb/> where Nordic cooperation was feasible or<lb/> possible. There it was specified that Nordic<lb/> cooperation could includè`judicial, cultural,<lb/> social and economic fields as well as in regard to<lb/> matters concerning transport and<lb/> communication, and in the protection of the<lb/> environment'' <ref type="biblio">(Nordic Council and the Nordic<lb/> Council of Ministers, 1978)</ref>. However, efforts<lb/> to strengthen economic cooperation failed and<lb/> were abandoned. The Nordic Council was<lb/> established in 1952 to strengthen political<lb/> cooperation. The Council is like a Nordic<lb/> parliament and the members are elected by the<lb/> parliament in each country. It is a forum for a<lb/> discussion among Nordic parliamentarians,<lb/> where each country appoints a minister<lb/> responsible for Nordic affairs. The Nordic<lb/> Council of Ministers is authorized to make<lb/> binding decisions within the framework of the<lb/> cooperative agreements.<lb/></p> <head>Cooperation within the research library<lb/> sector<lb/></head> <p>Nordic cooperation in the field of libraries and<lb/> information services is considered to have<lb/> started in the year 1914 when a journal, Nordisk<lb/> tidskrift fo Èr bok-och biblioteksva Èsen, was<lb/> established with editors from four Nordic<lb/> countries, Denmark, Finland, Norway and<lb/> Sweden. Still published today, this journal is<lb/> not only the oldest Nordic library journal, but<lb/> demonstrative of the library cooperation. In<lb/> 1926, the first Nordic library conference was<lb/> held and these conferences have been held<lb/> every four years with the exception of the war<lb/> years. The Nordic Association of Research<lb/> Librarians (NVBF) was founded in 1947, and<lb/> its main goal has always been to support<lb/> cooperation among the personnel of Nordic<lb/> research, academic and special libraries. The<lb/> Association has been very active most of its 50<lb/> years of existence. During its first years the<lb/> members launched a variety of programs,<lb/> including exchange of librarians, conferences<lb/> and round tables on important topics,<lb/> published a newsletter and sponsored a variety<lb/> of important publications, including a<lb/> handbook on interlibrary loans (1967) and a<lb/> dictionary of library terms (1968).<lb/></p> <p>One Nordic project gained international<lb/> attention and was considered of such<lb/> importance that the Unesco Secretary General<lb/> wanted to use it as a model for all of Europe,<lb/> long before plans for European Union and<lb/> coordination on a large scale. This project was<lb/> the Scandia Plan, which was a unique effort to<lb/> coordinate acquisitions among research<lb/> libraries in four of the five Nordic countries.<lb/> The Scandia Plan was born in A Ê bo, Finland, in<lb/> 1956 at the 8th Nordic Library Conference.<lb/> Shared acquisitions among libraries in different<lb/> countries had never been tried before and<lb/> money was truly scarce in post-war Europe.<lb/> The concept of the Scandia Plan was<lb/> considered of immense value and European<lb/> librarians were particularly willing to watch and<lb/> look for alternative solutions to their limited<lb/> library resources <ref type="biblio" >(Hannesdo  ttir, 1992)</ref>.<lb/></p> <head>Development of structured research<lb/> library cooperation<lb/></head> <p>The first Nordic institution on the<lb/> governmental level, which had to do with<lb/> information and documentation, was<lb/> NORDDOK (Nordic Coordination Committee<lb/> for Scientific and Technical Information and<lb/> Documentation), which was established by a<lb/> decree of the Nordic Council in 1970 and<lb/> received its budget from Nordic funds in 1972.<lb/> The purpose of this institution was the<lb/> collection and distribution of information on<lb/> research in progress, as well as research results.<lb/> As such, it was considered a basic component<lb/> for all Nordic scientific research cooperation.<lb/> The NORDDOK board consisted of two<lb/> persons from each country, mainly appointed<lb/> from the national information councils.<lb/></p> <p>From the beginning there were problems with<lb/> this institution, both ideological and structural.<lb/> One should keep in mind that these were years<lb/> of great changes within the research library field<lb/> all over the world with the advent of computers.<lb/> Many people, including those who were on the<lb/> board of NORDDOK, saw research libraries as<lb/> old fashioned and slow, and wanted a new<lb/> vision for distribution of scientific information<lb/> through the means of speedy information<lb/> transfer. The ideological division was visible in<lb/> terminology used, where the term`` term``librarianship'' was considered to mean``mean``to<lb/> keep scientific literature available,'' while the<lb/> role of``of``documentation'' was tò`systematize<lb/> and register available information sources in<lb/> different areas of science and provide the user<lb/> with quick and reliable information on what was<lb/> available and where'' <ref type="biblio">(Nordisk, 1963)</ref>.<lb/></p> <p>When NORDDOK was founded there were<lb/> many library-related projects or activities that<lb/> were supported by the libraries themselves.<lb/> These included a union catalogue of serials, and<lb/> the Scandia Plan, mentioned above. The<lb/> research library community wanted<lb/> NORDDOK to take over these projects, but<lb/> that turned out to be impossible. The reason for<lb/> this problem was mainly structural. The board<lb/> of NORDDOK had decided that all projects to<lb/> receive financial assistance should be voted on<lb/> unanimously. One opponent could therefore<lb/> use a veto, and that is just what happened. No<lb/> library projects were to be included. A critical<lb/> factor was also that NORDDOK had a budget<lb/> of 665,000 DKK during the first year which<lb/> was increased to 1.177 million DKK the<lb/> following year, which meant that Nordic money<lb/> was now finally coming to the field, but not<lb/> benefiting the long-lasting library cooperation.<lb/></p> <p>When this situation became clear, a new<lb/> Nordic committee was formed in 1972, called<lb/> the NFBS (Nordic Cooperative Committee for<lb/> Research Libraries), to assume responsibility of<lb/> cooperative projects within the research library<lb/> field. This Cooperative Committee, however,<lb/> had no official status or budget for projects and<lb/> we can assume that it was set up to increase the<lb/> pressure on NORDDOK. The Cooperative<lb/> Committee consisted of the most powerful<lb/> leaders within the Nordic research library field,<lb/> and it was clear that they could have substantial<lb/> influence on what would happen on the Nordic<lb/> level.<lb/></p> <p>In 1974, the Cooperative Committee sent a<lb/> letter to NORDDOK demanding the inclusion<lb/> of research library projects in its program.<lb/> Memoranda were prepared both for and against<lb/> this inclusion and the arguments were<lb/> presented to the Cultural Secretariat in<lb/> Copenhagen, the authority on the Nordic level<lb/> which had to do with this type of cooperation.<lb/> The Secretariat reacted immediately and set up<lb/> a working group to study the appropriate forms<lb/> for effective cooperation among Nordic<lb/> research libraries, and to make proposals for<lb/> NORDDOK's responsibility within this sector.<lb/> The working group presented its<lb/> recommendations in 1975, suggesting that a<lb/> new organization be founded which would<lb/> combine the activities of both NORDDOK and<lb/> the Cooperative Committee. The last meeting<lb/> of NORDDOK was held in December 1976<lb/> and the new organization, NORDINFO,<lb/> started its operations in 1977. Its foundation<lb/> was approved by the Nordic Council of<lb/> Ministers on 13 June 1976 and NORDINFO<lb/> celebrated its 20th anniversary in 1996.<lb/></p> <head>NORDINFO<lb/></head> <p>NORDINFO, the Nordic Council for Scientific<lb/> Information, was founded as a bridge between<lb/> research libraries and the growing information<lb/> and documentation sector. NORDINFO's<lb/> secretariat was set up in Helsinki, Finland, and<lb/> some permanent staff were appointed to<lb/> coordinate the activities and with a budget of<lb/> 1.6 million DKK. The full name behind the<lb/> acronym was``was``The Nordic Cooperative<lb/> Council for Research Libraries and Scientific<lb/> Information and Documentation.'' To begin<lb/> with, the board was large ± 14 members ±<lb/> obviously with the intention to cover all the<lb/> different interests and opinions, with three<lb/> representatives from the four large countries<lb/> and two from Iceland. The large board<lb/> leadership of this new institution was quite<lb/> cumbersome and soon it was decided that a<lb/> working group with one representative from<lb/> each country would be in charge of all minor<lb/> issues and the large plenary would only meet<lb/> twice a year to make all major decisions for the<lb/> institution. A director was appointed for four<lb/> years at the time to lead the activities and carry<lb/> out decisions of the board.<lb/></p> <p>In the beginning the role of NORDINFO was<lb/> defined in the following terms:<lb/></p> <list> <item>(1) to follow the developments in the Nordic<lb/> countries, as well as internationally, and<lb/> give advice and information to national and<lb/> Nordic organizations;<lb/></item> <item>(2) to promote and coordinate the transfer of<lb/> recorded information on the national,<lb/> Nordic and international levels;<lb/></item> <item>(3) to initiate and carry out research and<lb/> projects on the development of methods<lb/> and systems, as well as on education.<lb/></item> </list> <p>NORDINFO was to guide developments<lb/> within the Nordic research library and<lb/> information sector toward a uniform system of<lb/> scientific libraries and provide guidance within<lb/> documentation and information services. It can<lb/> also be read from the first plans that the whole<lb/> area was to be looked upon as one, including<lb/> libraries, documentation and information.<lb/></p> <p>During the first years of operation,<lb/> NORDINFO's activities included all the<lb/> projects that had formerly been the<lb/> responsibility of both NORDDOK and NFBS.<lb/> In the first year, there were 24 projects<lb/> financed, including NOSP (The Nordic Union<lb/> Catalogue of Periodicals), and SCANNET, a<lb/> network which was to link all Nordic databases.<lb/> At the same time, SCANNET was to develop<lb/> Nordic competence within the area of online<lb/> services, which was an important aspect in the<lb/> 1970s.<lb/></p> <p>The first NORDINFO workplan outlined<lb/> four broad categories which demonstrated the<lb/> road for the future. These categories were:<lb/></p> <list> <item>(1) policy development and coordinating<lb/> activities;<lb/></item> <item>(2) development of basic research material;<lb/></item> <item>(3) database and network activities;<lb/></item> <item>(4) education.<lb/></item> </list> <p>The new board approached their role as leaders<lb/> for this new institution with much enthusiasm.<lb/></p> <p>There is no indication in the minutes from the<lb/> initial meetings that any of the board members<lb/> were bound by previous views, despite the fact<lb/> this new institution was to represent two<lb/> opposite sides of the field. The institution was<lb/> to work from the standpoint of a justice<lb/> principle. No one country or speciality could be<lb/> favoured at the expense of another. The main<lb/> concept was that NORDINFO should work<lb/> towards common Nordic values <ref type="biblio" >(Svensson,<lb/> 1991)</ref>. Each of the four broad categories was<lb/> managed separately and each had its own<lb/> budget. The board functioned as a kind of a<lb/> research council and reacted to proposals from<lb/> the Nordic research library community, but did<lb/> not take initiative. For the first years, or until<lb/> 1985, there was little change in the form of<lb/> activities, but naturally the financed projects<lb/> changed in character in line with the<lb/> developments in the field.<lb/></p> <p>A new program was introduced for 1985-<lb/>1988 <ref type="biblio">(NORDINFO, 1984)</ref> and was published<lb/> in NORDINFO-nytt, the journal published by<lb/> NORDINFO. The main changes were that<lb/> NORDINFO was to take its own initiatives<lb/> and, furthermore, a part of the annual project<lb/> budget was to be reserved for NORDINFO's<lb/> own initiatives within limited fields which the<lb/> board had prioritized.<lb/></p> <p>Within this new framework, NORDINFO's<lb/> activities were divided into three areas:<lb/></p> <list> <item>( 1) NORDINFO's initiative areas: creation of<lb/> Nordic location instruments for library<lb/> material; information provision to small<lb/> and middle-size businesses; and<lb/> information and documentation services in<lb/> social sciences and humanities.<lb/></item> <item>(2) Free project fund: financial support to policy<lb/> development; organization and<lb/> coordination projects; education;<lb/> development of library technology, and<lb/> technological means of spreading projects'<lb/> results.<lb/></item> <item>(3) Regular activities: the two large projects,<lb/> which NORDINFO had supported from its<lb/> initiation, i.e. NOSP (the union catalogue of<lb/> periodicals) and SCANNET (the network).<lb/></item> </list> <p>Soon after this, the four original categories of<lb/> activities were widened and changed. The<lb/> second category, which formerly had included<lb/> the creation of location instruments, was<lb/> changed intò`document ordering and<lb/> document delivery'', and the fourth category becamèèducation for the information society''<lb/> <ref type="biblio">(NORDINFO, 1985)</ref>. These changes are just<lb/> an indication of the constant revision of the<lb/> work of the institution to better fit the call of<lb/> time. In the early 1990s the question of<lb/> cooperation with the EU and other<lb/> internationalization issues came to<lb/> NORDINFO's table. At the same time,<lb/> standardization and information provision<lb/> concerning new developments within this broad<lb/> field was given more attention.<lb/></p> <p>The largest project financed by NORDINFO<lb/> in the late 1980s and early 1990s was IANI<lb/> (Intelligent User Interface for the Nordic<lb/> Information-systems) which was initiated in<lb/> 1986 and was partially financed by<lb/> NORDINFO until 1992 when the project was<lb/> abandoned. This was a very ambitious project<lb/> aiming at developing technology which would<lb/> give an easy access to different databases<lb/> located on different computers within the<lb/> Nordic region. The common user interface was<lb/> to give the users the possibility to use the same<lb/> search language when searching different<lb/> databases.<lb/></p> <p>IANI was considered very important as a<lb/> basic tool to facilitate Nordic cooperation<lb/> within the field and therefore in many aspects to<lb/> improve access and stimulate standardization<lb/> within the database sector. During the project<lb/> period, 116 databases were adjusted to the<lb/> IANI search, but the project did not complete<lb/> its mission and was abandoned. One can claim<lb/> that it was just ahead of its time and still, in year<lb/> 2000, people are seeking the ideal solution of<lb/> how to search many databases through the<lb/> same search language.<lb/></p> <head>Centres of excellence<lb/></head> <p>The most extensive of NORDINFO's<lb/> experiments in the mid-1990s were the three<lb/> Centres of Excellence which NORDINFO<lb/> supported financially and described in the<lb/> work-plan for 1995-1998. These centres were:<lb/></p> <list> <item>.<lb/> Nordic Centre of Excellence for Networked<lb/> Information Services (or Nordic Net Centre)<lb/> was a joint venture between Lund<lb/> University Library in Sweden and the<lb/> Technical Knowledge Centre and Library<lb/> of Denmark (DTV) in Lyngby, Denmark<lb/> and located at the latter;<lb/></item> <item>.<lb/> Nordic Centre of Excellence for Electronic<lb/> Publishing located at Technical Research<lb/> Centre of Finland (VTT), in Espoo, Finland;<lb/></item> <item>.<lb/> Nordic Centre of Excellence for Digital<lb/> Handling of National Library Collections<lb/> located at the National Library branch at<lb/> Mo i Rana, Norway.<lb/></item> </list> <p>A common goal for these Centres of Excellence<lb/> was to contribute actively to the development of<lb/> the Nordic library and information sector. This<lb/> was to be accomplished through efficient<lb/> information activities, courses, seminars,<lb/> consultancy, developmental projects, and other<lb/> activities that could promote the Nordic library<lb/> and information sector <ref type="biblio">(Rinne-Mendes, 1995)</ref>.<lb/></p> <p>After three years of financing, NORDINFO's<lb/> support was withdrawn and the three Centres of<lb/> Excellence were all evaluated by external<lb/> sources. The project was considered to have<lb/> been of value, but the synergy effect and<lb/> publicity of these three centres was considered<lb/> as insufficient. On the other hand,<lb/> NORDINFO has decided to utilize the<lb/> knowledge and skills that were built up within<lb/> these institutions through courses and projects.<lb/> Without doubt all these centres will continue<lb/> their developments, but from now on they must<lb/> apply for project money the same way as other<lb/> institutions within the Nordic region.<lb/></p> <head>NORDINFO strategy 1999-2002<lb/></head> <p>The strategy of 1999-2002 was accepted by the<lb/> NORDINFO board and then passed on to the<lb/> Nordic Council of Ministers for approval. It<lb/> takes into account former activities and also<lb/> demonstrates vision towards the future, a vision<lb/> that is in line with the past, but also takes into<lb/> consideration the changes that are taking place<lb/> in the field of libraries, documentation and<lb/> information, as well as changes likely to take<lb/> place during the next three to five years. The<lb/> general objective set for the coming years is to<lb/> work towards what has been called``called``The<lb/> Nordic Electronic Research Library''. This is a<lb/> concept that builds on the activities that are<lb/> taking place in each of the Nordic countries and<lb/> NORDINFO has again assumed the<lb/> coordinating role <ref type="biblio">(Hannesdo  ttir, 2000)</ref>.<lb/></p> <p>In the new strategy, new stakeholders are<lb/> defined with the purpose to broaden the focus<lb/> group for NORDINFO's activities. There are<lb/> six focus groups altogether in the new strategy<lb/> and, for each group, some specific goals have<lb/> been set as to what NORDINFO's activities<lb/> should aim to accomplish.<lb/></p> <head>1. Scientific and technical information<lb/> community<lb/></head> <p>Objectives: Improve access to electronic<lb/> information for all Nordic users of scientific and<lb/> technical information; identify weaknesses in<lb/> availability, including special research areas or<lb/> regions within the Nordic region that need<lb/> special support.<lb/></p> <p>Planned activities include: Financial support<lb/> for developmental projects and pilot projects<lb/> within the field; copyright questions;<lb/> cooperation with non-library projects for<lb/> synergy effects, including museums and<lb/> archives; identification of needs for<lb/> developmental projects within small research<lb/> areas as well as marginal areas within the<lb/> Nordic region; and special support for emerging<lb/> research and development areas, which have<lb/> very few researchers.<lb/></p> <head>2. Information technology developers<lb/></head> <p>Objectives: Support developments aiming at<lb/> improved machine-human interface and<lb/> improved technical access to electronic<lb/> information.<lb/></p> <p>Planned activities for this group include: support<lb/> for projects that aim at implementing the<lb/> electronic research library on the next<lb/> generation of Internet and projects that improve<lb/> access to Internet sources; integration of<lb/> information and communication technology as<lb/> well as support for the digitization of special<lb/> library material that calls for new solutions.<lb/></p> <head>3. Publishers and producers of electronic<lb/> scientific information<lb/></head> <p>Objectives: Follow new developments in the field<lb/> and pass pertinent information on to the Nordic<lb/> library community; provide opportunity for<lb/> Nordic publishers to gain insight into the<lb/> requirements of the library community for easy<lb/> access to electronic publications.<lb/></p> <p>Proposed activities within this field include: Keep<lb/> the Nordic library community informed about<lb/> the rapid developments in the area of electronic<lb/> publishing, especially concerning<lb/> standardization and technical aspects; seminars<lb/> on the use of metadata; developmental projects<lb/> in digitization and electronic storage and access<lb/> of complex multimedia collections; follow<lb/> different models and principles of contract<lb/> licensing of electronic data. Within this area,<lb/> NORDINFO will mainly support state-of-the<lb/> art studies, use of experts to write reports or<lb/> articles for NORDINFO's publications, as well<lb/> as seminars on specific issues.<lb/></p> <head>4. Students and future researchers<lb/></head> <p>Objectives: To provide opportunities for<lb/> teachers, librarians and principals for up-to-<lb/>date information on the most recent<lb/> developments in information literacy, using the<lb/> Internet for instruction and integration of<lb/> information into teaching and learning on<lb/> secondary and tertiary levels.<lb/></p> <p>Activities within this area include: Summer<lb/> schools and/or seminars on information-<lb/>handling skills or information literacy, as an<lb/> integral part of education on the secondary<lb/> school level; integration of libraries in problem-<lb/>based university education; and development of<lb/> instructional material on the Internet.<lb/></p> <head>5. Staff of the research libraries and<lb/> information centres<lb/></head> <p>Objectives: To provide opportunities for<lb/> professional growth, performance and efficiency<lb/> in the user services within the electronic library<lb/> environment.<lb/></p> <p>Activities for library staff include: Summer<lb/> schools on the virtual library, which will build<lb/> on the results, developments and skills gained<lb/> through the Centres of Excellence; support for<lb/> research education for librarians and<lb/> information professionals; mobility grants for<lb/> staff of research libraries to spend time in a<lb/> similar institution in another country; assist the<lb/> development of a regular publication of an<lb/> international, refereed English-language journal<lb/> on Nordic library research; annual grant for an<lb/> innovative research project related to the<lb/> development of the Nordic electronic research<lb/> library.<lb/></p> <head>6. Policy makers for research libraries and<lb/> scientific information and decision makers<lb/> on the ministerial level<lb/></head> <p>Objectives: To facilitate the coordination of<lb/> national developments in order to create a<lb/> Nordic policy on access to scientific and<lb/> technical information. To facilitate a Nordic<lb/> policy on educational changes expected with<lb/> added use of the Internet, and the library's<lb/> specific role in those changes.<lb/></p> <p>Activities within the area of policy include: A<lb/> conference for Nordic policy makers with a<lb/> focus on how to coordinate national<lb/> developments in order to create the Nordic<lb/> electronic research library; a conference for<lb/> Nordic policy makers concerning changes in<lb/> higher education, more network-based,<lb/> distance education and the effect of these<lb/> developments on Nordic research library<lb/> services; publication of a newsletter about the<lb/> most recent developments within the research<lb/> library and information field, aimed at keeping<lb/> policy makers up to date on NORDINFO's<lb/> activities and developments within the research<lb/> and academic library's sector, and providing<lb/> broadly-based, international information on<lb/> research library developments that have<lb/> relevance for the Nordic community.<lb/></p> <p>Besides the activities within these six focus<lb/> groups, NORDINFO also has the obligation to<lb/> cooperate on three levels ± Nordic, European<lb/> and International ± with emphasis on the<lb/> neighbouring regions, including the Baltic States<lb/> and Western Russia. NORDINFO, therefore,<lb/> works with Nordic research libraries and Nordic<lb/> associations of research libraries and related<lb/> areas for synergy effects. NORDINFO also<lb/> operates as a contact point for the European<lb/> Union's Fifth Framework Program, in order to<lb/> facilitate Nordic participation in EU projects.<lb/></p> <p>NORDINFO also has considerable<lb/> publications programmes, including a journal,<lb/> NORDINFO-Nytt, which is published four<lb/> times a year, a publication series which often<lb/> contains proceedings of conferences of<lb/> importance, as well as a report series which<lb/> publishes the outcome of some of<lb/> NORDINFO's research projects. In 2000,<lb/> NORDINFO launched a newsletter, named<lb/> NORDINFO-Express, specifically for policy<lb/> makers in the field of research libraries and<lb/> scientific information outside the library<lb/> community. NORDINFO-Express is published<lb/> in Swedish and English and is distributed free<lb/> of charge.<lb/></p> <head>Contract with the Nordic Council of<lb/> Ministers, 2000-2002<lb/></head> <p>A contract valid for the three-year period 2000-<lb/>2002 is based on the strategy listed above. The<lb/> financial framework has already been outlined<lb/> for the upcoming fiscal years. NORDINFO has<lb/> a workplan developed, which cuts across all the<lb/> defined fields of stakeholders. The workplan<lb/> now contains the following categories, which<lb/> take into account the objectives for each of the<lb/> focus groups, and every year a report is<lb/> prepared listing the achievements and details<lb/> about the use of fiscal resources:<lb/></p> <list> <item>(1) policy issues and coordination;<lb/></item> <item>(2) research and development;<lb/></item> <item>(3) competency development;<lb/></item> <item>(4) publication and information activities.<lb/></item> </list> <p>The budget NORDINFO will receive for each<lb/> of the three years amounts to 4.1 million<lb/> Finnish marks (approximately $720,000) per<lb/> year, which is to be used for both projects and<lb/> administrative expenses. This may not look like<lb/> a lot of money, but within the library field, it is<lb/> of great help to have NORDINFO's seed<lb/> money to start a project. NORDINFO fully<lb/> finances no project and a group of institutions<lb/> that apply for money must be ready to put up at<lb/> least half of the cost of the project.<lb/> NORDINFO supports up to 20 conferences<lb/> per year and the board gives a fixed sum of<lb/> about $5,000 for a conference, which is to be<lb/> used to pay for the speakers or presenters.<lb/></p> <head>Conclusions<lb/></head> <p>As can be seen from this thumbnail sketch<lb/> description, NORDINFO has made a<lb/> considerable contribution to developments<lb/> within the Nordic library and information sector<lb/> during its 20 years of operation. NORDINFO<lb/> has financed a great many experiments and<lb/> projects with the aim to promote Nordic<lb/> cooperation within the field of scientific<lb/> information and documentation, principally in<lb/> connection with the research library system.<lb/> NORDINFO has been evaluated several times;<lb/> each and every time the findings of the evaluation<lb/> committees have been positive. NORDINFO has</p> </text> </tei>