Layers of a national digital information strategy in Germany

Due to the lack of a sustainable tradition of private patronage for tertiary education, German libraries have developed a complex layered network of communication and support to cope with a permanent lack of resources. The tiers of this structure of cooperation and funding reflect the organization of Germany as a coalition of federal states. National, regional and local ventures to improve education infrastructure massively rely on funding by the National Research Foundation DFG (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) which on its part presets frameworks for project proposals by issuing specific support programmes for universities and libraries. The paper presented describes current structures and policies of the German library network and gives examples of best practice ventures all of which are bound to contribute to the vision of a national virtual library.