The electronic parliamentary library at the European Union (EU) level is developing to meet the needs of a changing political context. It is emerging in multiple forms: cooperation among EU institutions; cooperation among EU parliaments; and the service of the European Parliament itself. The development of electronic service presents a management challenge for libraries, and in the context of the European Parliament there is a challenge to differentiate the library's service in a highly competitive environment. This paper outlines a practical framework for service differentiation. The sections of the paper cover the following topics: (1) context, including the European Parliament, the political context, institutional factors, and managerial issues; (2) information service of the European Parliament, including the Directorate General for Research and Documentation; (3) movement toward a common library of EU institutions, including EUROLIB and an inter-institutional library; (4) movement toward an electronic library for European parliaments; and (5) developing the electronic library of the European Parliament, including differentiating the library and working with communities of practice as a key strategy. (Contains 15 endnotes and 4 references.) (MES)