Kaunas municipal Vincas Kudirka public library's ( KPL) closest international partnerships are  with the libraries of the Nordic Countries. This collaboration started, after partnerships' agreements between municipalities were siged:

• Kaunas – Linkoping (1992)
• Kaunas – Vestfold (1992)
• Kaunas – Odense (1993)
• Kaunas – Tampere (1997)
• Kaunas – Hordaland (1997)

Some of these relationships are stronger than others. We have tenuous link to Odense and Hordaland County libraries, but we can treat these as  future possibilities. KPL has also established relationships directly with other public libraries in Nordic cities:  Helsinki public library, Deichmanske Bibliotek (Oslo public library), and the Copenhagen central library as well.

The most productive partnership with libraries in Norway is with Vestfold County which has had a partnership agreement with Kaunas City and County for more than 20 years. Everything started when back in 1989 Vestfold County Council made a decision to contribute to the democracy building process behind the fallen Iron Curtain. The first contacts between Vestfold and Kaunas took place in 1991, when delegations from Vestfold came to Lithuania. The partnership agreement was signed in 1992. The first cooperation program between Vestfold County and Kaunas City was for the period of 1992 – 1993 and included the following three fields:  health and social care, education and culture. Many different equipment was donated to hospitals, schools and other institutions in Kaunas at this time. Thousands of books were given to libraries. KPL has received a bookmobile from Vestfold County library as a gift.

The Bookmobile has been used for mobile exhibitions around Kaunas city for a long time. One of the biggest exibitions was prepared when implementing a project “Nordic and Lithuanian literature: contact points” in 2002-2003. This project was initiated by KPL in cooperation with Vestfold County Library (Norway) and Skåne County Library (Sweden). This exhibition received an encouraging award from the  Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania in 2003.  The Award was given for for the use of  new multimedia technologies in exhibitions.  KPL prepared the database "Contact points: Lithuanian and Nordic literature" based on the material of this project in 2005.

In 2004, when participating in the PHARE 2001 project “Library as a community centre”,  the bookmobile was equiped with computers in order to make a “web on wheels”. Now the old bookmobile is called Infobus, and is used for the purpose ofencouraging the residents of Kaunas and Kaunas region to start using the computer and internet, giving them initial instruction.

Norway and Denmark

November-December, 2005 - intensive training in inter-institutional co-operation between information and educational sectors of the library's senior executive Marija Minkeviciene and head of the Division of Education and Training at Kaunas City Municipality Antanas Bagdonas at Education Authority at Oslo City Municipality, Oslo Public Library, Copenhagen City Council Cultural and Recreational Committee, Education and Youth Committee, Copenhagen Central Library. Training was supported by Nordic Council of Ministers.

Latvia

July, 2004 - a group of the library's specialists visited Riga central library and it's branches. The aim of the visit - exchange of the experience.

Norway and Denmark

April-May, 2004 - intensive training in digital services and network development of the library's senior executive Marija Minkeviciene at Oslo public library and Copenhagen central library. Training was supported by Nordic Council of Ministers.

Finland

September, 2002 - training workshop at Helsinki City Library - project PULMAN (Public Libraries Mobilizing Advanced Network) of Marija Minkeviciene (head of Lampedziai branch). The main point of the training - public libraries' management. There were some visits to Helsinki city libraries as well as to other towns' (Tampere , Renko, Tuusula) libraries.

Estonia

October, 2001 - library's director Zenonas Vaskevicius participated in the 3rd Nordic-Baltic library meeting "Libraries in knowledge-based society" at Tallinn. The report "User-targeted projects: two cases of Kaunas municipal Vincas Kudirka public library" was presented.

Poland

October, 2004 - library's director Zenonas Vaskevicius presented a paper in the international librarians' seminar at Ostrov Velkopolski.

October, 2000 - library's director Zenonas Vaskevicius presented a paper:  "Long-lived history of Lithuania and Poland and perspectives for libraries' partnership" in the international librarians' conference at Wigry.

Sweden

1999-2000 - head of Lampedziai branch Marija Minkeviciene participated in the project DUVA. Project DUVA was initiated by Linkoping (Sweden) and Kaunas (Lithuania) municipalities. Aims of the project were: 1) development of libraries and access to the information in the municipalities of Kaunas and Linkoping; 2) development relationships among municipalities, politics, libraries and community members; 3) set down a process of democracy as a main principle in development of libraries and access to the information. Activities of the project  included  seminars, lectures, study visits, discussions and  evaluations. There were visits to Norkoping city and the Gothenberg Book Fair in 2000. The project was supported by SWEBALTCOP programme.

Norway

November, 1999 - head of Bibliography and Reference Department Vida Statuleviciene with librarians from Kaunas County library as well as Kaunas Technological university library by invitation of Ivar Haug (director of Vestfold County library), visited Vestfold County colleges and public libraries. The biggest attention was paid to implementation of new information technologies, hardware equipment and management of the library as a learning organization.

1994 - head of "Berzelis" branch Daiva Stankeviciene was on the training in Vestfold County library. The main purpose - learning about new services and methods of the implementation.

Denmark

1994 - thanks to a grant for co-operate projects between Eastern and Central European and Baltic Countries on the one side and Denmark on the other, within the field of public and academic libraries, Asta Norkeliunaite (chief librarian of Girstupis branch) took part in the Nordic Mobile Library Festival, which was held in Skallerup Klit in Denmark. During the conference it was an opportunity to learn a lot about the newest technology and mobile libraries, views on future mobile libraries, inspirations and exchange of experience by various speakers from Nordic Countries and other European countries, such as France , former GDR and Great Britain.

May, 2004 - the heads of the libraries' of the biggest towns and regions as well as heads of municipalities' Culture Departments from Ukraine were on a visit in Kaunas. The purpose of the visit - exchange of the experience.

May, 2004 - librarians from M. Kanopnicka public library (Suvalki region, Poland) were on a visit in KPL. The purpose of the visit - exchange of the experience, especially in the information lending to the users' field.

May, 2003 - Marit Einen (senior executive officer of the Hordaland County Council European Office) was on a visit in KPL. During visit the project BINET (Business Information Network in Hordaland) was presented, discussion and exchange of the experience took part as well as there were some visits to the branches of KPL.

May, 2002 - colleagues from Prague (Czechia) were on a visit in KPL. Guests participated in "Book's day" fiest at the library and shared the practical experience in organizing such fiests in Prague public libraries as well as a tour round the Kaunas city historical and cultural places was organized.

May, 2002 - group of colleagues from Salaspils (Latvia) were on a visit in KPL. Purpose of the visit - exchange of the experience in regional studies.

April, 2000 - group of colleagues from Vestfold (Norway) and Sweden were on a visit in Kaunas public libraries. The seminar for Kaunas librarians took part at Kaunas County library. The reports were made by H. Olafsen (director of Horten central library), B. Knudsen (chairwoman of the Directors' Association of public libraries in Sweden), H. Ottoson (deputy of Vestfold County library), A. Verde (director of Larvik public library), L. Egeland (director of the Vestfold college library). I. Haug (director of Vestfold County library), H. Gierlow (director of Sandeford public library). The main reports were made on acquisition, new services, development of new information technologies, etc.

1999-2000 - according to programme of the project DUVA (Linkoping (Sweden) and Kaunas (Lithuania),  colleagues from Linkoping public library had 3 visits in Kaunas libraries. They visited the  Kaunas public libraries, the Kaunas Technological University Library and the Kaunas Vytautas Magnus University Library. When visiting libraries, colleagues from Linkoping got acquainted with Kaunas city libraries work and  problems.  The differences and similarities of the work were discussed at seminars and disputes and disussions. An important topic was the development of the partnership between politics and libraries.

May, 1999 - During "Kaunas days" ,  KPL librarians along with representatives of the International Relations Departments from Vaxjö (Sweden), Vestfold (Norway) and Odense (Denmark) municipalities, organized an exhibition "Towards democracy - twin towns". There were exhibit material about Nordic countries political structure, economy, social security system, culture, etc. The exhibition took part in the bookmobile in the main street of Kaunas city and was very well received among townspeople.

• Minkeviciene M. Electronic services and networks (experience of Nordic countries) - seminar "Needs of public libraries users' today", 2004 06 01, Kaunas municipal Vincas Kudirka public library.
• Minkeviciene M. Management models of public libraries in Nordic Countries - seminar "Library as a community center: tradition and modernity", 2004 05 25, Kaunas County library.
• Minkeviciene M. Quo Vadis, Library, or a Month in Helsinki // In the World of Books. ISSN 0868-8826 Ind. 5081. 2003, No.6, p. 12-15.
• Raceviciute R., Vaskevicius Z. User-targeted projects: two cases of Kaunas municipal Vincas Kudirka public library// Libraries in knowledge-based society: proceedings of the 3rd Nordic-Baltic library meeting [Tallinn, 2001. October 25-26]. Tallinn, 2001, p. 94-98.