The LibrarIN Conference, held on 22–23 May 2025 at the historic University of Alcalá in Spain, brought together library professionals, researchers, policymakers, and innovators to explore the future of libraries through the lens of innovation, co-creation, and societal impact.
With 150 participants from across Europe and beyond, 26 countries represented in total, the conference was a vibrant and inspiring exchange of ideas. Over the course of two days, attendees enjoyed 80 high-quality presentations across parallel and plenary sessions, delivered by leading experts in library innovation, public service design, and knowledge ecosystems.
(by participants from countries other than Spain)
Setting the Tone for Transformation in libraries
The conference opened with welcoming remarks from Javier de la Mata, Vice Rector for Research and Transfer, University of Alcalá, María José Gálvez Salvador, Director General, Spanish Ministry of Culture, Anna Triantafillou, LibrarIN Project Coordinator, Athens Technology Center and Luis Rubalcaba, LibrarIN Scientific Coordinator, University of Alcalá. These addresses highlighted the growing importance of libraries as active agents of change, fostering inclusion, collaboration, and innovation across communities and sectors.
The key-note session was “The Future of Library Services: Innovation, Technology, and Value Co-creation” and it was given by Stuart Syndman (Harvard University) and Paul Windrum (University of Nottingham) and moderated by Luis Rubalcaba (University of Alcala). The two speakers provided a complementary view of innovation in libraries and value co-creation from both technology and service innovation perspectives. The challenges for innovation ecosystems in libraries are evolving requiring new approaches where joint work between practitioners and academics were at stake.
Key areas for further work and research
The conference included different plenary and parallel sessions on many domains. It also presented main results from the LibrarIN project in the plenary session titled: “New evidence from the EU LibrarIN project in selected library topics”, presented by Carsten Smith / Ines Mergel – University of Konstanz: Digital transformation and AI, Benoît Desmarchelier / Faïz Gallouj – University of Lille: Public-private networks and social innovation, Lars Fuglsang – Roskilde University: Living Labs, co-creation and co-innovation, Anthony Arundel, Merit, Metrics for innovation in libraries
Two special sessions took also place. One was “Engage with Leadership from Professional Associations and Networks”, where the most important professional associations in the sector were represented and discussed about major challenges for libraries in terms of innovation and value co-creation. Chaired by Marieke Willems (The Lisbon Council) speakers were Ilona Kish – Public Libraries 2030, Stephen Wyber – IFLA, Andrew Cranfield – EBLIDA, Izabela Korys – NAPLE, Hilde van Wijngaarden – LIBER.
Another special session was the one dedicated to “Preservation of Cultural Heritage for Libraries”. The panel of speakers was chaired by Hilde van Wijngaarden (LIBER) and speakers included Stuart Snydman – Harvard University, Gloria Expósito Álvarez – Spanish National Library, and Jacobo Vera – Libnova.
Paralell sessions included important topics for current and future research on library innovation. In particular, parallel sessions provided important results in areas such as: Technologies and AI; Metrics, Bibliometrics and Assessment; Preservation; Children, Reading and Youth; New Library Services: Networks, Ecosystems and Ethics; Value Co-creation and Living Labs; University Libraries; Library Challenges and Innovation; Social Innovation and Inclusion in Libraries; Library Impacts and Technologies.
A strong finish with a policy and European perspective
The policy session was named “Reimagining Libraries: Actions towards Sparking Collaboration & Innovation”. Chaired by Francesco Mureddu – The Lisbon Council, speakers were Laura Guindal – Spanish Ministry of Culture / OMC Group Representative and Stefaan Hermans – European Commission, Director of Policy Strategy and Evaluation DG Education, Youth Sport and Culture, EU Commission. This session discussed and proposed different policy areas for action.
The event concluded with a closing address by Giuliana De Francesco, from the European Commission (DG RTD.D4), who emphasized the strategic relevance of the LibrarIN initiative in shaping the future of public services and cultural innovation in Europe. Luis Rubalcaba closed the conference as conference organizer.
A venue steeped in history
Sessions were hosted in the Colegio de San Ildefonso, the emblematic heart of the University of Alcalá, whose architecture spans the 16th and 17th centuries. Some sessions also took place in the CRAI Library, reinforcing the event’s connection to real-world library spaces.
Participants were treated to a guided tour of the University’s World Heritage buildings and libraries after the first day of the conference, followed by a memorable Gala Dinner at the Hostería del Estudiante, offering networking in a unique and historic setting.
The overwhelmingly positive feedback from participants reflects the community’s enthusiasm to build on the momentum sparked in Alcalá. As we move forward, we invite everyone to explore the Book of Abstracts, which captures the wide range of insights, case studies, and research shared during the conference.