The only requirement for participation is being a public library located in one of the participating NAPLE countries or regions and be willing to have a sister library.

Currently, the NAPLE countries or regions participating are Belgium, Croatia, Czechia, England, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Scotland, Slovenia, Spain, Denmark, Sweden and Germany. We hope others will join us in the future!

  • Register: fill-in this form.
  • Find libraries that interest you in LIBRARIES and make connections with them via email directly, through your national representative or the Secretariat.
  • Once the sistership is decided, inform us! We will then indicate that the libraries are engaged in a sistership.

The agreement between libraries can be informal or formalised in written form. You can use this template.

Is fluency in English a requirement to participate? Is it the language I must use with my sister library? Can I participate if I am not fluent in English?

English is the working language of the programme. That means it is the language we will use in our communications with you and on the website, and the language we will ask you to use when sending us any news about your activities, sisters, etc.

Having said that, it does not mean that you have to be fluent in English or that your written English must be perfect. This is just for communication, and the only thing that matters is that we can understand each other.

Also, English is only the language of the programme. If you are fluent in another language and the contact person from your sister library speaks it also, of course you can communicate and work together in the language of your preference. In the application forms there is a field for the languages spoken by the staff and by the users, and you can always look for a library where your language is spoken.

Do I have to accept if a library contacts me to be their sister library?

There is no obligation on your part to accept any invitation, so it is up to you to say no if you are not interested in that particular library.

Can I propose a “sistership” with a library that is not participating yet?

If the library is located in another participating country/region (check it in the libraries section) of course you can! The other library should then register first by sending their application form and then you can be NAPLE Sister Libraries.

What happens if I write to some libraries and don’t have any response?

You can write to the Secretariat at naple.sisterlibraries@gmail.com describing what kind of library you’d like to partner with and we can help you find it by writing the NAPLE members or directly to libraries we know that’d fit your requirements.

Can I have more than one sister library?

Yes! You decide how many sister libraries you want to have. Most have only one, but some libraries have several ones too!

Is there any funding available?

NAPLE Sister Libraries does not have any funding. If the activities the libraries do involve costs, they will be responsible for their funding. But there are some libraries in the program that are involved in Erasmus+ projects.