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| Issue 2 Home | Editorial | Features | Regular Columns | News & Events | Misc. | ||
By Torill Redse and Jorunn Hesjedal - October 2000
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RBT / Riksbibliotektjenesten [1]
acts as the Norwegian National Node for Cultivate, and is one of
the technical partners in the project.
RBT (The National Office for Research Documentation, Academic and Special Libraries) is a government agency under the Norwegian Ministry of Education, Research and Church Affairs. RBT is the highest authority in the field of research documentation in Norway, and acts as a consultative, co-ordinating body serving as the government’s expert on all matters related to the activities of academic and special libraries.
As a result of the European Economic Area (EEA)-agreement, Norway has been allowed since January 1993 to participate in the European Union’s research and development programmes on equal terms with the member countries. The Norwegian Research Council appointed RBT as the Norwegian ”National Focal Point”(NFP) for The Library Research Programme in the European Union’s 3rd and 4th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development. As National Focal Point, RBT is responsible for disseminating information within the country, as well as initiating and following up projects and project ideas within the library sector. The Commission initiated the creation of a European network of ”National Focal Points” for the Library Programme, and the NFPs have been closely connected during the time of the 3rd and 4th Framework Programme. RBT’s work as the Norwegian NFP has been executed in close co-operation with the Norwegian Research Council, which carried the main responsibility for information dissemination and co-ordination of the European Research Programmes in Norway.
The idea of a European Network for the Digital Cultural Heritage Community in the IST-Programme of the 5th Framework Programme was discussed at a National Focal Point meeting in Dublin early 1999. Considering the experience RBT had gained as the Norwegian National Focal Point during the 3rd and 4th Framework Programmes, it felt natural for them to join the Cultivate project as the Norwegian partner.
The networks intention is to promote and support the co-operation of all memory institutions, i.e. archives, libraries and museums. In Norway, the three sectors have so far had limited co-operation. The institutions in the archive, library and museum sector are organised under two different ministries, The Ministry of Cultural Affairs and The Ministry of Education, Research and Church Affairs. The responsibility is also divided between different institutions at a local level.
The academic and special libraries in higher education and research are organised under the same ministry as their parent institutions. For the majority, this is the Ministry of Education, Research and Church Affairs. RBT is the highest authority for academic and special libraries. Public libraries are mainly municipal, and are organised under the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. The Directorate for Public Libraries is the highest authority for public libraries. The counties are responsible for the county libraries (fylkesbibliotek), and the government is responsible for library services to special groups, such as the Sami popluation, patients in governmental health institutions, immigrants, refugees, prisoners, and persons with hearing and vision disabilities.
The National Library is responsible for the implementation of the Act of Legal Deposit, and is organised under the Ministry of Cultural Affairs.
The Norwegian museums are governmental, municipal or private. They are coordinated by the Norwegian Museums Authority (Norsk Museumsutvikling) under the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. Norway has approximately 700 museums. Some 250 museums have permanent staff, the rest are run on voluntary basis. The funding of museums in Norway comes mainly from the public sector. The Ministry of Cultural Affairs is responsible for 17 museums and also for the operation of more than 300 museums via contributory funding to the responsible counties. The ten university museums in Norway are organised by the Ministry of Education, Research and Church Affairs. The Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Transport and Communications are also responsible for running museums. The Ministry of Environment is responsible for the care of heritage sites and monuments. A decentralised museum system has developed during the last century. Most of the small museums were started as a result of local initiatives, and many district authorities have museums of their own.
The Norwegian State Archives System (Arkivverket) consists of the National Archives (Riksarkivet) which cover the central administrative institutions, and eight regional state archives for the local branches of the state administration. The municipalities/local authorities are responsible for their own archives. Some of the larger counties also have archives and offer public services. The National Archivist has the right to inspect and instruct municipal and county archives. In addition to this, there are some private archival institutions, primarily owned by the Labour Movement, as well as some owned by religious organisations.
The three sectors are governed by different institutions, participate in different national research programmes, and have no long history of co-operation. However, evidence can be found of an increasing national awareness of the need for the three sectors to work together.
In a report to the Parliament, St.meld 22 (1999-2000) “Kjelder til Kunnskap og oppleving”, concerning archives, libraries and museums, initiative was taken for a closer co-operation between the sectors.
In deliberation with the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, the Ministry of Education, Research and Church Affairs appointed a task force for information and communication technology and other shared tasks for libraries, archives and museums in 1999. The purpose of the task force is to map areas of mutual interest for the three sectors, as well as promote co-operation between the sectors. The task force will present their recommendations for future co-operation in a report this autumn.
As a way of obtaining user access to the holdings of libraries, museums and archives through electronic nets, the Ministry of Cultural Affairs has established Culture Net Norway (Kulturnett Norge) [2]. Culture Net Norway is the official gateway to Norwegian culture on the web, and includes an extensive database containing links to various Norwegian culture sites, as well as a cultural calendar of events across the country, and news about culture and the Internet. The National Library is in charge of the net, which comprises technical infrastructure and institutions in charge of cultural tasks. Amongst other agents, the Directorate for Public Libraries, the National Archive and the Norwegian Museums Authority are involved in the work.
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| Figure 1: Culture Net Norway/Kulturnett Norge |
Since becoming a technical partner in the Cultivate project, RBT has started building a network consisting of Norwegian archives, libraries and museums. An initial meeting was held with the National Archives and Norwegian Museums Authority in 1998, and since then various formal and informal contacts have been made. It does however take time to build a network, since the three sectors have no long history of co-operation. It is a great challenge to motivate the right persons in each sector to take an active part in building the network.
A national e-mail list for EU-matters has been running from 1998. To enhance information dissemination and promote contact between the sectors, RBT has also established a new Norwegian e-mail list as a supplement to the project’s Cultivate list. RBT regularly passes on EU-information to the Norwegian list. However, the list is also meant to be open for discussions that are not related to EU projects, as all contact is likely to further the aim of building a national network.
To further information dissemination, RBT has ensured that relevant information about EU projects are always available on the RBT web. Amendments and new links are continuously made on these pages. Furthermore, articles about EU projects are regularly published in RBT’s bimonthly journal “Synopsis”. RBT will also shortly start the work on the Norwegian Cultivate web-pages.
In the Cultivate-EU project, RBT has the main responsibility for Work Package 5: Policy Monitoring. The aim for WP5 is to link administrative and professional bodies in the EU member states and associated states at national and international level. RBT is conducting a survey asking for central bodies in archives, libraries and museums in all the participating countries, as well as at European and international level. The outcome will be a guide to national, European and international organisations and associations and governmental institutions. The guide should be used for dissemination of information about opportunities and results in the IST-Programme, and act as a help to find relevant contact points or partners in other European countries.
RBT will also be involved in the Cultivate-CEE project, and are responsible for WP5 in this project as well. Hopefully this project will start in February, 2001.
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Torill Redse
Senior Adviser
Postboks 8046 Dep
N-0030 OSLO
Norway
Phone: (+47) 23 11 89 00
Fax: (+47) 23 11 89 01
Jorunn Hesjedal
Senior Executive Officer
Postboks 8046 Dep
N-0030 OSLO
Norway
Phone: (+47) 23 11 89 00
Fax: (+47) 23 11 89 01
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For citation purposes:
Redse, T. and Hesjedal, J. "National Node Column: Norway", Cultivate Interactive, issue
2, 16 October 2000
URL: <http://www.cultivate-int.org/issue2/nodes/>
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