Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway visits the National Library
On Thursday 19 February, Øystein Bø, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway to Poland, paid an official visit to the National Library of Poland. He was accompanied by Aleksandra Wacko, Counsellor at the Embassy with responsibility for the Norway Grants.
The visit followed the award of funding to the National Library of Poland for the project “A Library for Local Communities” and provided an opportunity to discuss its aims and implementation timetable with the Director of the Library, Dr Tomasz Makowski.
During the meeting, participants reviewed progress achieved to date under the Norway Grants and discussed in detail the framework of the project “A Library for Local Communities.” With a budget of two million euros, the initiative will establish 16 regional centres of knowledge, dialogue, civic education and resilience to disinformation in libraries selected through an open call.
During his visit, the Ambassador toured the reading rooms of the National Library of Poland, learning about access to the collections and the organisation of reader services. He also visited the digitisation and reprography studio, where the Library carries out work to preserve its holdings digitally and make them widely accessible.
The visit underscored the importance of Polish-Norwegian cooperation under the Norway Grants and highlighted the role of the National Library of Poland as an institution actively engaged in international cultural initiatives supported by these funds. Between 2021 and 2024, support from the European Economic Area Financial Mechanism (EEA FM) enabled the modernisation and refurbishment of the interiors of the Palace of the Commonwealth.
