ROLA FUNDUSZY UNIJNYCH W ROZWOJU POLSKICH BIBLIOTEK
THE ROLE OF STRUCTURAL FUNDS IN FINANCING POLISH LIBRARIES

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the paper is to make an attempt to answer the following questions: which EU funds (under which priorities) are used by libraries in Poland and what is the impact of the subsidies the libraries use on improvement of their activities and their development as cultural institutions. As the research shows, in the years 2007–2013 libraries in Poland received funding mostly from the ERDF under Regional Operational Programmes and used the funds to finance large investment projects related to broadly defined library infrastructure. They were also beneficiaries of ESF funding, although to a lesser extent, for relatively small investment projects, primarily in rural areas. The EU funds used by the Provincial and Municipal Public Library contributed to a 15% increase in library resources and improvement in the quality of services offered by the library thus raising both the number of library users by more than 26% and attractiveness of its activities, now including a cultural and educational offer.

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