At the Culture Council held in Brussels on Tuesday 26 November, the Ministers of Culture of the Member States of the European Union adopted conclusions aimed at improving and promoting access to culture. Chaired by the Hungarian Secretary of State, Veronika Varga-Bajusz, the session focused on digitalisation, inclusion and the role of libraries as vehicles for access to culture.
At the press conference held at the end of the day, Ms Varga-Bajusz presented the main thrust of these conclusions, which focus on reducing the barriers to cultural participation, particularly for rural and economically disadvantaged populations.
She also spoke of the essential role of digital technologies and artificial intelligence in making cultural works more accessible.
In addition, the conclusions reaffirm the ministers’ support for initiatives such as the Creative Europe programme for transnational projects, and call for greater integration of culture in areas such as education, health and innovation.
Read the conclusions: https://aeur.eu/f/ehn
The role of libraries in media education. In the afternoon, the ministers discussed media literacy, a key issue in the digital age. Libraries, as information hubs, play a central role in this.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, they demonstrated their ability to provide reliable access to information and to combat disinformation, both of which are considered essential to democracy.
Ms Varga-Bajusz identified three major issues for libraries: - filling the gaps in media literacy; - guaranteeing the financing of their infrastructure; - strengthening librarians’ skills.
The discussions also addressed the need for multi-sector partnerships with universities, technology companies and non-governmental organisations to guarantee quality services and develop solutions adapted to digital challenges.
The discussions also provided concrete examples of national best practice.
In Italy, a €30 million investment is supporting libraries in rural and outlying areas, while Lithuania is training adults to identify disinformation and understand the implications of artificial intelligence.
In France, projects such as the Bibliothèque publique d'information at the Centre Pompidou organise workshops on generative artificial intelligence and the fight against ‘fake news’.
In Finland, libraries are following national guidelines that include the promotion of media literacy from an early age, and the Netherlands is incorporating innovative educational programmes such as the HackShield game, where children play the role of agents fighting disinformation.
Poland, meanwhile, is investing in digital skills centres to help citizens navigate the digital ecosystem and understand the issues surrounding algorithms.
The EU ministers called for improved support through programmes such as Erasmus+ or Next Generation EU to fund the modernisation of libraries and the ongoing training of librarians.
They also discussed projects such as Europeana, which will enable Europe’s cultural heritage to be digitalised and shared.
France has proposed the creation of a ‘European Library Alliance’ to strengthen cross-border collaboration.
Finally, several Member States, including France, Italy, Finland, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Poland, have called for access to European funding to be widened to include specific library projects.
These initiatives include the networking of institutions, the training of professionals and the development of appropriate digital infrastructures, with a view to transforming libraries into major players in media education and democratic resilience. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)