KnowEurope - putting Europe in context
Tom Jackson, Bell+Howell Information & Learning, Great Britain
KnowEurope is a recently launched commercial web information service providing structured and integrated access to a broad range of information about the European Union, the applicant nations and the wider Europe. In a single resource it delivers straightforward answers to questions about the institutions and organisations, policy initiatives and legislative activities and the peoples and nations of Europe. The service is the result of collaboration between Bell+Howell, a range of commercial publishers, the EU's official resources and, crucially, Ian Thomson, one of Europe's leading EU information specialists, as KnowEurope's Executive Editor.
The presentation will examine
- the perceived need for KnowEurope and the user requirements around which the service has been built
- the types of users we anticipate will find the service of value
- the role of the Executive Editor, Ian Thomson
- the selection and integration of official materials from the EU and other official bodies with commercial sources
- the technical, editorial and commercial issues faced in the creation of KnowEurope
- our plans for KnowEurope's future
The presentation will conclude with a brief online demonstration of KnowEurope.

KnowEurope - putting Europe in context