European Network for School libraries and Information Literacy

Literacy, school libraries and information literacy are increasingly the focus of public attention throughout the world. An important event has been the publication by Unesco and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) of the School Library Manifesto, which emphasises equal opportunities for all learners.   Representatives of associations for teachers and librarians, as well as some ministries of education, from eight European countries came together in Amsterdam on the 21-23 March 2003 to discuss these issues. 

The host for the meeting, Mrs. Lourense Das, Policy Officer for the Dutch Association of School Librarians, said, “It signifies the enormous importance of these issues that so many professional librarians and educators travelled to the Netherlands for this meeting.”

At the meeting, delegates from Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Sweden and the United Kingdom set up an informal group, the European Network for School Libraries and Information Literacy (ENSIL). The Amsterdam statement was adopted.