As European libraries navigate increasing societal demands, shrinking public budgets, and rapidly evolving user needs, a new policy brief from LibrarIN offers critical insights into how libraries can foster collaborative innovation, and ensure that promising practices are adapted for local impact.
This third LibrarIN Policy Brief, titled Collaborative Innovation and Best Practice Diffusion in European Libraries: Adapting for Local Impact and authored by LibrarIN Stakeholder Panel member Giuseppe Vitiello (Rete delle Reti), Marta Anducas, Elena Silvestrini and Marieke Willems (The Lisbon Council), LibrarIN Stakeholder Panel member Katrina Kukaine (National Library of Latvia), Doris Schartinger (Austrian Institute of Technology) and Anna Triantafillou (Athens Technology Center S.A), explores the nuances of sharing “what works” across library systems, drawing from real-world use cases and research conducted in collaboration with the Erasmus+ TELL project for transparent European learning libraries*.
Rethinking “best practices”
Not all library innovations can, or should, be copied from one setting to another. The brief introduces three key categories of practice:
- Best practices, often highly visible and politically supported but difficult to replicate
- Good practices, field-tested with broad potential for uptake
- What works, grounded in local realities and frugal innovation
The brief cautions against assuming that one-size-fits-all. It identifies risks such as misalignment with community needs, lack of replicability, and the absence of clear indicators to measure success.
From inspiration to local adaptation
Iconic libraries like Oodi in Helsinki or DOKK1 in Aarhus offer inspiring models—but their high costs and political contexts mean they’re not easily transferable. Instead of imitation, the brief promotes adaptation through internal, contextual, and sectoral analysis.
Libraries are encouraged to ask:
- Who are the users and what do they need?
- What is the socio-economic context?
- How do similar sectors apply best practices?
This approach aims to ensure that innovations are scalable, sustainable, and community-driven.
Tools to support smarter innovation
To help libraries implement what really works, the brief highlights two new tools that provide the evidence base to inspire meaningful change and allow for comparison across countries:
- The LibrarIN What-Works Database – showcasing use cases of value co-creation and social innovation
- The LibrarIN Policy Tracker – monitoring how EU recommendations are reflected in national library strategies
A call for policy action
To build a more collaborative and equitable European library ecosystem, the brief suggests five key policy recommendations:
- Promote the LibrarIN 4-phase framework for demand-driven innovation
- Adopt and maintain the What-Works Database and Policy Tracker at EU level
- Use demographic and economic indicators alongside library metrics
- Set EU standards for infrastructure investment based on population data
- Align library services with European Commission Partnership Agreements
Download the full Policy Brief to explore the full framework and practical tools.
* This brief is a joint effort between the LibrarIN project and the Erasmus+ TELL project. Both projects operate in the context of the adoption of the Recommendation CM/Rec(2023)3 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on library legislation and policy in Europe. TELL looks at the adoption of these recommendations in individual libraries from 6 European Member States. LibrarIN tracks the adoption of these recommendations in national policies and strategies via its Library Policy Tracker. In addition, TELL project has provided Use Cases to the LibrarIN What-Works Database.
