ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the examples of how cultural networks can be shaped as actors in the creation of cultural narratives and as operational and learning experiences. It explains the structures, roles and dynamics involved in shaping transdisciplinary and transnational cultural networks and how transnational and translocal connections of museums, libraries and public cultural institutions present themselves and interact with multicultural audiences. The European Union is a rich and heterogeneous landscape of cultures and languages, carried by shared values. The idea of European Cultural Commons' defined by Europeana is both a concept and a business model. One fundamental role in cultural networking is played by catalysts and facilitators that are institutions and initiatives primarily acting as triggers and supporters both with local communities and with policy bodies. Public cultural policies on cultural diversity differ widely between European countries, as noted 20 years ago by Verena Stolcke.
