Art. 1: Wanda Pindlowa
Special libraries in the European Union

The article presents the EU programmes drawn up for special libraries, i.e. libraries serving special populations. The author presents the EU initiatives concerning libraries for disabled users. She communicates the goals of such institutions, and focuses on the issue of giving help in leading disabled people towards the information society.The other type of special libraries are prison libraries, that - following the British example - should aim at promoting lifelong education. Libraries for specialists and information centres that provide business information form a separate group of libraries. The author addresses the problems that such libraries face in Poland.

Art. 2: Henryk Hollender
Academic libraries in the European Union - an attempt at a comparative perspective

The author carries out an analysis of the situation of academic libraries in the EU focusing on the possible changes that Polish academic libraries may face after accessing the EU. The most important of them are: standardization, planning and accounting for expenditure (strategic planning), improving efficiency, making full-text materials available, participating in different types of projects. The question of charging for services rendered by libraries as well as the problem of reconciling copyright with better and better forms of copying and distributing materials need to be resolved.

Art. 3: Anna Ogonowska
Threats and chances of Polish libraries after joining the European Union - terra incognita and myths

This article attempts at giving an answer to the question on the participation of Polish libraries in the preparations for the accession to the EU, aiming at the same time at uprooting the myths about the EU propagated among the library communities. The author discusses two documents drawn up by the European Integration Committee (KIE). They are: "The National Strategy for Integration" (1997) that completely omitted libraries and "The Information Society Programme" (1999) that mentiones libraries and information centres as institutions participating in the realization of this programme. Moreover, the author, when giving an account of the activities of the European Information Centre affilated to KIE, considers the usefulness of setting up new information centres (regional European information centres) whereas libraries are in a position to carry out the functions of these centres. A bulk of this article is devoted to clarifying doubts and concerns about the EU membership expressed by the library communities. Questions concerning the change of the Polish library act, adjusting Polish copyright to EU law, imposing charges for loans forced by the EU directive on the lease of intellectual property are among the ones most often asked. The author stresses that the EU will have mainly an indirect impact on Polish libraries, leaving a number of legal regulations in the hands of Polish authorities.