Insights from the High-Level Policy Roundtable “Next Generation Libraries: Bottom-Up, People-First and Purpose-Driven”
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.
Evidence from the LibrarIN project, based on a large-scale European 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.
A Policy Conversation for the Next Generation of Libraries
To explore how to overcome these challenges, The Lisbon Council convened the Policy Roundtable on “Next Generation Libraries: Bottom-Up, People-First and Purpose-Driven” on 30 September 2025 in Brussels. The high-level gathering brought together policymakers, library leaders, researchers, and participatory innovation experts to discuss what it will take to unlock the full potential of libraries as bottom-up, people-first, and purpose-driven institutions.
The discussion offered a timely opportunity to reflect on evidence from the LibrarIN project, situate it within the broader policy context, and contribute to the forthcoming European Culture Compass—a new policy framework that positions culture as a driver of democracy, competitiveness, societal resilience, and innovation.
Highlights from the Roundtable
Opening the conversation, Emma Rafowicz, Member of the European Parliament and Vice-Chair of the Committee on Culture and Education, shared her vision for empowering European libraries to serve as truly people-first institutions.
She was joined by leading figures from across Europe, including:
- Georg Häusler, Director for Culture, Creativity and Sport, European Commission
- Anthony Arundel, Professorial Fellow, United Nations University – MERIT
- Ilona Kish, Director, Public Libraries 2030
- Andrew Cranfield, Director, EBLIDA
- Helen Mandl, Deputy Secretary General, IFLA
- 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 OECD
- Klaas Gommers, Advisor, Dutch Library Association and Coordinator of the Open Method of Coordination (OMC) Group on Building Bridges: Strengthening the Multiple Roles of Libraries as Gateways to and Transmitters of Cultural Works, Skills and European Values
Together, they explored how libraries can embrace participatory governance, strengthen social innovation, and enhance their role as enablers of democratic participation and cultural transmission.
From Evidence to Action
The roundtable reaffirmed that Europe’s libraries are vital agents of change—connecting communities, fostering inclusion, and empowering citizens to engage in the democratic life of their societies. However, to fully realise this mission, libraries must be equipped with the right frameworks, funding mechanisms, and innovation skills to co-create with their communities.