Scientific cooperation
The NCU Library in Torun participates in numerous international initiatives, collaborating with public and academic libraries in Germany, Sweden, Czech Republic and Lithuania (Lund, Praha, Vilnius, Regensburg, Bamberg, Berlin, Greifswald, Marburg, Oldenburg and Rostock), as well as with several foreign research institutions (e.g. Herder Institute, Nordost-Institut an der Universität Hamburg, Westpreußisches Landesmuseum Kulturstiftung Westpreußen, Münster-Wolbeck).
Working relations with the Deutsches Polen-Institut in Darmstadt resulted in a 4-volume bibliography of Polish-German relations titled Deutsch-polnische Beziehungen in Geschichte und Gegenwart: Bibliographie 1900-1998 (Wiesbaden, 2000). Since 1995 the NCU Library has partnered with the Herder-Institut in Marburg in publishing Bibliographie der Geschichte Ost- und Westpreußen and Bibliographie der Geschichte Pommerns.
Large international scientific cooperation conducts Department of Special Collections, which not only carries out research on cultural monuments (rare books and manuscripts), exhibitions, but also innovation programs (Manusciptorium). The Archives of Polish Emigration (APE) collaborates with numerous cultural, artistic and research institutions of Polish emigration and Polish diaspora in Europe and the rest of the world. The aim of the cooperation is to promote the study of emigration and exchange their own publications. The acquisition of world literature devoted to the history of the migration, as well as participation in conferences and seminars, exchange of students, copy, archive documents, databases, and co-published books are important for APE. Now noteworthy cooperation is conducted with the Lithuanian Emigration Institute in Kaunas.
In 2003 the Department of Journals began collaborating with the University Library of Regensburg on developing a catalog of electronic journals, known in Europe as Die Elektronische Zeitschriftenbibliothek. In 2010 they started also interesting programme with Lund University Library associated with the co-creation of Directory of Open Access Journals - one of the most lists in the world.
The NCU Library is a member of two international organizations: Bibliotheca Baltica and SPARC Europe - from 2012. We have established a very close cooperation with Electronic Information for Libraries (EIFL) - international organization which is working in collaboration with libraries in more than 60 developing and transition countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. EIFL enables access to knowledge for education, learning, research and sustainable community development.
Our partners of cooperation:
- Bamberg Universitätsbibliothek,
- Bibliotheca Baltica,
- Carl von Ossietzky-Universität Bibliotheks-und Informationssystem,
- Deutsches Polen-Institut in Darmstadt,
- Electronic Information for Libraries,
- Greifswald Universitätsbibliothek,
- Herder-Institut Marburg e.V.,
- Internationale Gutenberg-Gesellschaft in Mainz e.V,
- LENKU Institutas,
- Lithuanian Emigration Institute in Kaunas,
- Lund University Libraries,
- National Library of the Czech Republic,
- National Library of Latvia,
- National Library of Lithuania,
- Nordost-Institut an der Universität Hamburg,
- OCLC,
- Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften. Bibliothek und Archiv. Wien
- Das Polnische Institut in Berlin,
- SPARC Europe
- Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin,
- Universitätsbibliothek Rostock,
- Universitätsbibliothek Regensburg,
- Universita Degli Studi di Palermo,
- Vilnius University Library,
- Westpreußisches Landesmuseum Kulturstiftung Westpreußen, Münster-Wolbeck.
Europeans Union programmes and Founds
Between 1998 and 1999, the NCU Library acted as partner in the DEDICATE project (Distance Education Information Courses Through Networks), organized as part of the 4th Framework Programme of the European Union. In 2000 the NCU Library's European Documentation Centre co-ordinated the PHARE project: Through Information Towards the European Union, which resulted in the publication of the EU programme directory for Poland (Programy Unii Europejskiej dla Polski. CDE, Torun 2000). Between 1999 and 2003 the Centre also functioned as a contact point for the 5th and 6th Framework Programme of the European Union. Since April 2003 it has been a partner in a focus project, referred to as the Regional Strategy of Innovation of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Province, which follows EU guidelines.
Between 2004 and 2006 thanks to funds from the Integrated Operational Programme for Regional Development the first stage of Kujawsko-Pomorska Digital Library was build. Today it is a part of the Polish network of digital libraries (FBC) and Europeana portal transferring thousands of digital objects to those platforms. This cooperation has continued.
From 2007 NCU Library co-operates in the Communia Project: The European Thematic Network on the Public Domain in the Digital Age. It was realized till 2011 in eContent Plus Framework. Main idea of this project was to create a co-operation network between centers which are collaborating in Open Access Movement.
In 2008 NCU Library joined as a associated partner the ENRICH project. It is also a part of eContent Plus Framework. The goal of this project was to enable constant access to digital version of national manuscripts. Manuscriptorium Digital Library is the basis of the result, it gives access to many collections from Czech Republic and other European countries. This cooperation continues.
Since 2010, thanks to the Erasmus Program, librarians can go abroad every year to the best European libraries for professional exchange, which greatly improves the quality of service and work in the library.