Study on the use and impact of EU financial aid, ministerial grants, local self-government grants and sponsors’ subsidies for Polish research and academic libraries between 2000-2008

Abstract

The present study on fund-raising efforts for Polish academic and research libraries has been conducted within the framework of the internal research projects of the University Library in Poznań. This project was carried out by the Research, Publishing and Didactical Department of the Library and was conducted between September 2008 and June 2009. The aim of the study was to identify and evaluate comprehensively all the available information on non-budgetary grants and cross subsidies raised by Polish academic and research libraries and to determine the feasible level of their average utility. The study was based on the diagnostic poll method which involved survey questionnaires. The survey questionnaire with the accompanying appropriate instruction for respondents and the outline of the goal of the study was distributed among all university libraries, main libraries of technical and medical universities, universities of economics and physical education, pedagogical and agricultural universities as well as to major public libraries with vast research collections. In all, 70 questionnaires were sent to respondents, whereas 38 were replied. The period of time indicated in the study, i.e. 2000-2008, was a particularly favour-able time for extra fund-raising for libraries. The most frequently obtained funds were those attributed by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. They were followedby financial aid offered for the basic functions of the libraries from sponsors. Local self-governments offered significant financial support mainly for public libraries. Funds and grants supporting libraries that were offered by foundations and financial aid for organizational activities obtained from sponsors were observable. EU-based funding was rare and exceptional.