SK-Libris is funded from a grant from United States Information Agency (USIA). USIA is now called International Information Programs and is under the auspices of the U.S. State Department.

Project Duration: April 1998 - May 2000.

Introduction
The chief objective of SK-Libris is to increase the free flow of information for Slovak citizens via libraries. Collaboration is the hallmark of all successful library programs that facilitate the free flow of information. Therefore, a chief attribute of the success of SK-Libris has been, from the onset, its collaborative nature. Specific goals and initiatives have been jointly agreed upon. Beáta Bellerová (Slovak Agricultural Library) says that Nitra libraries are now in regular communication concerning library issues due to their association with SK-Libris.

We had imagined working together, but SK-Libris provided us the motivation we needed to begin  talking. ~ Beáta Bellerova    April 1999

SK-Libris was borne out of the work initially done in Slovak libraries under the auspices of the Orava Project, an USAID funded project. (In particular the work done at the Slovak Parliamentary Library, which was done at the request of USAID, Bratislava) SK-Libris and the Orava Project have sustained this culture of collaboration throughout all aspects of SK-Libris.

Consortiums & Continuation
Slovak library cooperation has been formalized in two specific ways. A consortium of Bratislava libraries collaborated on reference work and jointly implementing an EBSCO database project. In Nitra, the Karol Kmetka Public Library, Agricultural University Library and Constantine the Philosopher University Library have formed the Nitra Valley Library Consortium in which they will begin putting in place the needed policy and technical infrastructure in which they can begin to build an union catalog. They have completed an "intent to cooperate", a legal document, that allows them to share funding. This document serves as a model for the Slovak library community.
SK-Libris was funded for an additional year due to its initial successes.

Core Elements
SK-Libris has concentrated its focus on the following facets of library service for Slovak citizens. These facets were decided upon, from the onset, in direct and ongoing collaboration with Slovak librarians. Under each facet is a list of activities that have been undertaken to support work in that area.

• Bratislava Consortium on Reference Services Cooperation
  External Databases
  

• Site visits and consultations
• Workshops by U.S. Specialists
• Funding WWW database access at heavily discounted price negotiated by SK-Libris
• U.S Study Tour - September 1998

• Nitra Consortium for Union Catalog
• U.S Study Tour - September 1999
• Site visits and consultation
• Library association building
  Library Advocacy
• U.S. Study Tour - May 2000
• Workshops by U.S. Specialists
• Site visits and consultations

We have also continued our efforts to work with the Parliamentary Library on the establishment of a satellite center that will provide Slovak citizens better access to government documents.

Study Tours have provided an opportunity for the participating librarians to see how vital U.S. libraries are in maintaining and facilitating the free flow of information for citizens.

The study tour is very educational, it brings experience to knowledge. ~ Jaroslav Gazda    September 1998

Access to External Databases
SK-Libris provided the Bratislava Library Consortium full access to EBSCO databases via the WWW. Concurrently, the Open Society Institute in Budapest negotiated a 39 country contract with EBSCO to provide access to EBSCO database in the former Soviet Union and Africa. Due to SK-Libris leadership, Slovakia was the first country to receive direct training on these databases from EBSCO. There are currently 40 slovak libraries participating in this project.

In conjunction to providing access to the EBSCO databases SK-Libris conducted workshops in May and September 1999 in Bratislava and Nitra on maximizing this resource for use from a technical/reference perspective. Effective marketing of this product to customers of libraries was emphasized as well. SK-Libris also visited with Ministry officials from Education and Culture on the importance to promote and use these databases in the libraries for which they respectively administer. SK-Libris worked closely with EBSCO and the Open Society Institute in Budapest and the Open Society Foundation in Bratislava to help coordinate (including training) the EIFL project funded by Soros. This collaboration has been productive.

Our students are hungry for it. ~ Darina Krausova (right) On access to EBSCOfull-text databases. September 1999 Melánia Majeríková (left)

SK-Libris, in addition to providing specific workshops, database access and study tour opportunities, has provided important opportunities for productive collaboration among Slovak libraries and librarians that will be sustainable in the years to come.

Daniela Gondova, President, Slovak Association of Libraries Tibor Trigna, Past-President, Slovak Librarians Association. Silvia Stasselova is the current president.