LibrarIN will examine ways that libraries can develop new functions, services and engagement with the individuals, organisations and communities they serve. This will be achieved through social innovation based on public value co-creation and a demand-driven design of library services.

The rationale for this project builds on the role of libraries as public services facing the challenges of the 21st century. Many of these challenges are shared with museums, cultural centres, galleries, cultural institutions, and professional associations like LIBER. These challenges include the delivery of efficient high-quality public services, and the improvement of libraries’ capacity to deal with societal issues such as climate change.

Additionally, LibrarIN will concentrate on social innovation in libraries and encourage the participation of citizens in co-creating their future. As a result, libraries can “re-position” themselves at the core of cultural and socioeconomic activity in the neighbourhoods, cities and regions where they operate.

LibrarIN believes the traditional view of top-down public administrations, in which citizens are not involved in the creation of services, is no longer appropriate. Modern-day challenges increase the need for a demand-driven design of state-of-the-art library services, to engage citizens and ”unlock social assets”.

LIBER’s Role

LIBER, as leaders of WP6 (Dissemination, Communication and Sustainability), will lead the dissemination of project results and awareness-raising within the scientific and policy community, practitioners and citizens. In addition, LIBER will utilise its network of research libraries and connections within the library community to contribute to mapping exercises. Furthermore, LIBER will play a decisive role in stakeholder engagement tasks.