Real-world strategies and examples of value co-creation and social innovation for all innovators in libraries are now available via EBLIDA. The LibrarIN What-Works Database, an interactive resource showcasing these approaches in action, is officially live on the EBLIDA website. This tool provides EBLIDA’s network of 65,000 European libraries with direct access to a curated collection of 47 successful cases spanning 20+ countries.
Bridging the Gap Between Theory and Practice
Developed by the Horizon Europe-funded LibrarIN project (2023–2025), the database moves beyond theoretical research to provide actionable insights. From the AI-parade to storytellers’ circles and the climate corner (to name just a few), it serves as a dynamic map of what works in public, research, and national libraries, offering library staff a blueprint for introducing social innovation methodologies within their own communities.
By exploring this collection, innovators can discover technical solutions, creative strategies, and real-world implementations of the project’s policy recommendations. Each entry is designed to be adaptable, allowing libraries to take proven strategies, such as stakeholder engagement and co-creation models, and tailor them to their specific local contexts.
A User-Centric Exploration Tool
The database has been co-designed with library practitioners, and is built for intuitive navigation. Users can filter initiatives by theme (aligned with the LibrarIN Policy Tracker and empirical research topics), country, library type, or project stage. An interactive map and free-text search field allow for quick discovery, while each entry is presented as a clickable card.
A closer look into any initiative reveals:
- Comprehensive Insights: Detailed summaries of the co-creation process, results, and long-term impacts.
- Honest Analysis: Documentation of challenges, bottlenecks, and success factors.
- Community Dialogue: A dedicated comment area where users can ask questions and engage in discussions with peers across the continent.
The LibrarIN Legacy
The name What Works Database reflects the tool’s commitment to sustainability; these are initiatives that have thrived in specific library settings over time. This resource is the culmination of years of LibrarIN consortium research into transformative strategies that integrate value co-creation into public service. By identifying models that resolve conflicts between individual and social values, LibrarIN empowers a new generation of European libraries to become hubs of collaborative innovation.