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Copyright: University of Konstanz

LibrarIN: Towards a new generation of European Libraries

International research consortium involving Ines Mergel, Professor of Public Administration – Digital Governance at the University of Konstanz, receives EU funding in the framework of the Horizon Europe programme. Goal of the joint research project LibrarIN: paving the way for a new generation of European libraries based on participatory management and sustainable finance.

Libraries are key cultural institutions: they provide access to information, education, culture and science to a broad audience. To make European libraries fit for the future, the European Union is now funding the research project “LibrarIN – Value Co-Creation and Social Innovation for a New Generation of European Libraries” with around three million euros. The three-year project, launched on 1 November 2022, receives the funding in the Horizon Europe call “Research and innovation on cultural heritage and the cultural and creative industries”.

Central goal of LibrarIN is to provide new avenues for participatory management and sustainable finance for European libraries. The research project will examine ways that libraries can develop new functions, services, and engagement with the individuals, organisations and communities they serve. This requires social innovation based on public value co-creation and a demand-driven design of library services. LibrarIN has a particular focus on three co-creation areas: digital transformation, living labs, and social entrepreneurship and public-private-third sector innovation networks.

Digital transformation is key

“Digital transformation of public services has become an important task across all types of administrations. The work of the LibrarIN project has the goal to identify innovations in moving from analogue service delivery to digital service provision. We are especially interested in identifying opportunities to engage different types of stakeholders in innovative co-production processes that generate public value,” says Ines Mergel. She is Professor of Public Administration – Digital Governance and LibrarIN project Team Lead from the University of Konstanz (Germany). In her subproject, Mergel will interview digital library experts to understand how they co-produce digital public services together with stakeholders and conduct several case studies with national, research and public libraries.

About the LibrarIN consortium

The LibrarIN consortium consists of ten members: the Athens Technology Center S.A. (Project Coordinator), the Lisbon Council for Economic Competitiveness, the University of Lille, the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, the Association of European Research Libraries (LIBER), the University of Alcala, Roskilde University, the University of Maastricht, the Austrian Institute of Technology, and the University of Konstanz.

The first in-person meeting of the research consortium took place on 10/11 November 2022. Project partners met in Athens to get acquainted, discuss, and put into place action plans for the coming months.

Key Facts:

  • Horizon Europe project “LibrarIN” (Value Co-Creation and Social Innovation for a New Generation of European Libraries) launched on 1 November 2022.
  • General goal: provide new avenues for participatory management and sustainable finance for European libraries.
  • Total funding: about € 3,000,000.
  • The subproject on digital transformation of public library services at the University of Konstanz is coordinated by Ines Mergel, Professor of Public Administration – Digital Governance at the Department of Politics and Public Administration and Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.
  • Goal of the subproject: defining digital transformation in public libraries and identifying co-production opportunities with stakeholders.