The PULMAN Network has grown! There are now 37 countries represented in the PULMAN Network of Excellence. 

The proposal to extend the PULMAN Network to countries bordering the European Union and its candidate states was favourably evaluated under the 8th Call of IST FP5. 

• Work under PULMAN-XT started on 15 June 2002.
  
  The new countries represented in the Network include Russia and Turkey (as partners) and a number of other countries represented by Country Co-ordinators (Albania, Belarus, Bosnia Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Yugoslavia and Ukraine).

• PULMAN-XT will run for 14 months with the goal of extending the benefits of the PULMAN Network and initiating new activities

Activities and Plans for the PULMAN Network Extension Members are to:

• TRANSLATE PULMAN GUIDELINES into national languages of the extension countries. The Guidelines cover all aspects of innovative public library service provision such as support for access to culture on-line, lifelong learning, social inclusion, digital literacy, and e-government (and will be used to promote the development of public libraries and other local cultural institutions to policy makers and practitioners).

• PARTICIPATE IN THE PULMAN POLICY CONFERENCE (Oeiras, Portugal 13-14 March 2002) targeted to senior policy makers, practitioners, and national representatives of public libraries, museums and archives with an agenda to build scenarios for future co-operation and cross-sectoral strategies.

• SPONSOR TRAINING WORKSHOPS on innovative practice for public library managers to be held in PULMAN Centres of Excellence.

• DEVELOP RESEARCH CAPACITY in each country with an interest and capability to participate in future EU research programmes (e.g. IST FP6) involving public libraries, museums and archives.

• EMBARK on an ambitious new programme of INSTITUTIONAL MENTORING AND TWINNING. 

• The actions of the PULMAN Network are targeted to both policy makers and service managers. 

The PULMAN Network members who will help to make the ‘bridge’ with PULMAN-XT are: MDR Partners (UK, Co-ordinator), EBLIDA (European), Helsinki City Library (Finland), Oton Zupancic Library, (Ljubljana, Slovenia) and Veria Public Library (Greece).

With the extension, the PULMAN Network is strategically placed to stimulate and promote best practice in digital services and practices of public libraries and cultural organisations at the local and regional level throughout Europe and in neighbouring countries.