Turning the Page: Co-Creating People-First European Libraries

Libraries are pillars of democracy and social cohesion. Echoing this, the European Union’s work plan for culture 2023–2026 makes strengthening libraries a priority by recognising them as key gateways to culture, skills and European values.

But to live up to this promise, libraries must evolve. As communities’ needs change, the days of top-down service design are behind us. Innovation now depends on collaboration, co-creation and the ability to put people at the centre. Yet, evidence from the LibrarIN project, based on a large-scale survey, shows that meaningful engagement with users and stakeholders remains the exception rather than the norm. Only about a quarter of high-priority innovations in public and academic libraries involve users directly. This limited use of co-creation reflects structural barriers such as uneven access to funding, disparities between small and large libraries and a lack of dedicated innovation skills.

The Lisbon Council convened the Policy Roundtable on ‘Next Generation Libraries: Bottom-Up, People-First and Purpose-Driven,’ a high-level gathering bringing together policymakers, library experts and advocates, researchers and participatory experts to explore what it will take to unlock the full potential of libraries as bottom-up, people-first and purpose-driven institutions. The roundtable offered a chance to reflect on evidence from the LibrarIN project, situate it within the broader policy context and contribute to the forthcoming culture compass for Europe: a policy framework that positions culture as a driver of democracy, competitiveness, societal resilience and innovation.

Opening the conversation, Emma Rafowicz, member of the European Parliament and vice-chair of the committee on culture and education, shared her vision for unlocking the full potential of European libraries as bottom-up, people-first and purpose-driven institutions. She was joined by Georg Häusler, director for culture, creativity and sport, directorate general for education, youth, sport and culture, European Commission; Anthony Arundel, professorial fellow, United Nations University – Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology; Ilona Kish, director, Public Libraries 2030; Andrew Cranfield, director, European Bureau of Library, Information and Documentation Associations; Helen Mandl, deputy secretary general, International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions; Susana Silvestre, founder, Boost Your Thinking; Jamie Rose Johnston, professor, University of Iceland and associate professor, Oslo Metropolitan University; Pedro Solano de Almeida, deputy permanent representative, Permanent Representation of Portugal to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); and Klaas Gommers, advisor, Dutch Library Association and coordinator, Open Method of Coordination (OMC) Group of Member States’ Experts on Building Bridges: Strengthen the Multiple Roles of Libraries as Gateways to and Transmitters of Cultural Works, Skills and European Values.

The roundtable was convened within the framework of the LibrarIN project, a 10-member consortium including the Lisbon Council, funded by the European Union to develop new participatory management models for libraries across Europe.