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Culturelink
Culturelink, the Network of Networks for Research and Cooperation in Cultural Development, was established by UNESCO and the Council of Europe in 1989 in Paris, at the Consultation of Representatives of Regional and
Sub-regional Networks for Cultural Development Research and Cooperation.
The Institute for International Relations (IMO, formerly IRMO) in Zagreb, Croatia has been the Network's focal point since its inception.
Serving as resource centre for all of its members, Culturelink has established itself as an efficient and unique mechanism in the field of culture. With its extensive geographic coverage, it was the widest-ranging project of the World Decade for Cultural Development (1988-1997).
Mission
Culturelink's mission is to strengthen communication among its members, encouraging international and intercultural communication and collaboration, as well as joint research projects.
The long-term objective is the development of a world-wide information system for the study of cultural development and cooperation. To this end, the Network collects, processes and disseminates information on cultural development, cultural life and policies.
Activities
Aiming to develop appropriate means of communication and speed up the flow of information, the Culturelink Network set up its Internet Gopher service in 1994, while the Culturelink Home Page was first established on the World Wide Web in 1996. It has been updated and expanded regularly, growing into a complex WWW Resource Centre.
Besides research, activities of the Culturelink Network include development of the Culturelink Databank and publication of the review Culturelink, the Culturelink Directory Series and Culturelink Joint Publications Series. Serving its members on a daily basis, the Network disseminates its information both on paper and through electronic means.
Research
One of the major aims of the Culturelink Network is the promotion of joint regional, interregional and international research projects.
Numerous research studies have been undertaken in the fields of cultural policy, intercultural communication and cultural identity, and the impact of transition in the field of culture.
Conferences
Benefiting from its wide-ranging exchange contacts, in cooperation with different partners, Culturelink regularly organizes scholarly conferences, seminars and courses on cultural and communication issues.
Databases
The Culturelink Databank, accessible to all members of the network, consists of the Cultural Policy Database, the Cultural Development Database and the Bibliographical Database. These services are complemented and updated on a regular basis, which makes them a unique source of information for UNESCO and the Member States.
The Cultural Policy Database is part of the project on the Current State and Trends of Cultural Policies and Life in UNESCO's Member States. It includes bibliographical and referral data on the direction of cultural policies, administrative and institutional structures, financing and legislation, cultural industries, etc.
The Cultural Development Database has been established to facilitate information exchange among the Network's members and others involved in the field of cultural development. It contains general information about more than 1000 institutions and networks, and detailed information on some 300 institutions and networks from all regions of the world, describing their information infrastructure and databases, their research projects, publications, artistic activities, international cultural cooperation, etc.
Documentation
The Culturelink Network runs the Documentation Centre for Cultural Development and Cooperation which holds numerous documents, books and periodicals in the fields of international cultural development and cultural policies registered in the Bibliographical Database.
Publications
In addition to Special Issues of the Culturelink
review, the Network publishes various publications, studies and proceedings, including the C-News electronic newsletter. The Culturelink Joint Publications Series publishes proceedings from the conferences organized by the Network, while the Culturelink Directory Series includes directories of institutions and databases in the field of cultural development (a
selective printout from the Culturelink Database), as well as the Guide to the Culturelink Network.
Review
The paper edition of the regular issues of the
Culturelink Review, formerly published in English four times a year on some 200 pages per issue, has been replaced by the electronic bulletin C-News, which is e-mailed to Culturelink Network members and is made freely available at the Culturelink web site at regular intervals. Sent to more than 1000 addresses throughout the world, it provides the Network's members with information on their activities of mutual interest, including networking, current or planned research projects, research results, reports from and announcements of meetings and conferences, reviews of publications and documents. It is a record of the current state of cultural development in the world, reflecting the trends in cultural life and policies.
The publication's Special Issues, publishing original research papers on one specific topic, continue to be published as paper editions.
Members
The Culturelink Network gathers over 1000 networks, member institutions and individuals from over 100 countries worldwide. The members are networks, institutions, organizations, universities, foundations and professionals from around the world which are engaged and interested in cultural development, cultural policies, cultural management and cooperation.
Membership Information
Membership in the Network includes possibilities of collaboration on joint projects (several institutions or several countries) and the use of databases (Cultural Development and Cultural Policy Database).
Membership privileges also include the possibility of publishing data about the members' projects in the C-News electronic newsletter and of inclusion of data about the member institution in the Culturelink Database, as well as the receipt of Culturelink paper editions.
The membership fee is € 20 for individuals, € 50 for institutions and € 100 for benefactors.
To join the Culturelink network, please print and fill in the membership form.
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