Finland is recognised internationally as a forerunner in the library field. Finland is one of the few countries in the world which have strategic documents outlining library development.

In international cooperation the aim of the Ministry of Education and Culture is to influence decisions made in international and EU contexts already in early stages of preparation and to be an active partner in international administrative and development work.

Nordic cooperation

Nordic government officials responsible for library affairs meet annually to exchange information about national developments and joint projects. One example of joint projects is the Scandinavian Public Library Quarterly. The Ministry is responsible for publishing and budget 2007-2011 and the Ministry´s representative in the editorial board functions as editor-in-chief for the same period.

EU and neighbourhood cooperation

In 1998 the European Parliament adopted a memorandum on the role of libraries in modern society as the basis for the EU's first library policy programme. The memorandum was commissioned by the European Parliament's committee on cultural, youth and education and the media affairs.

In 2000 the EU countries set up a cooperation forum called NAPLE (National Authorities on Public Libraries in Europe). NAPLE disseminates information about European public libraries, promotes the development of national library services, identifies suitable cooperation areas and research needs, and supports strategic library development in Europe. The Ministry of Education and Culture participates actively in NAPLE.

UN

In the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), representatives of different UN organs, governments, civic organisations and the private sector explore ways of extending the benefits of information society worldwide, with special emphasis on library and information services as a means to this end.

The Ministry of Education and Culture monitors developments in media literacy and access to information and issues opinions, for instance in the WSIS context.