Periodic Reporting for period 1 - LibrarIN (VALUE CO-CREATION AND SOCIAL INNOVATION FOR A NEW GENERATION OF EUROPEAN LIBRARIES)
Reporting period: 2022-11-01 to 2023-10-31
The LibrarIN project is grounded in the evolving role of libraries as crucial public services facing European challenges in the 21st century. This involves not only the delivery of efficient, high-quality services but also the enhancement of libraries' capacity to effectively address societal challenges. As most libraries are public libraries (municipal, academic-public, State libraries), the project is motivated by the recognition that the traditional top-down model of public administrations, where citizens passively receive supply-led services, is no longer suitable to face the libraries challenges created by Internet (e.g. borrowing of books is way less relevant than before) or by wicked societal problems (e.g the need for inclusion in access to knowledge libraries can play a key role). In this context, the essence of the LibrarIN project lies in advocating for a demand-driven design of public library services. This shift requires inclusive approaches to citizen engagement, leveraging the opportunities presented by new technologies to actively "unlock social assets."
The project addresses specific needs as follows: 1) The demand for a comprehensive and holistic theoretical framework for understanding three aspects of value co-creation in libraries as public services: i) its nature and characteristics, ii) its modes of organization and implementation and iii) its impacts. 2) The necessity to investigate value co-creation on three service-related co-creation areas of libraries transformation: digital transformation of libraries, social entrepreneurship and innovative structural relationships between public-private-third sector innovation networks; and innovation and living labs; 3)The urgency to analyze barriers and drivers’ indicators and future trends for value co-creation in libraries, the role of supervising authorities, and the transformation of research findings into libraries' innovation through actionable policy recommendations, libraries’ pilot projects and actions, and by facilitating peer-to-peer knowledge exchange to ensure implementation.
The project addresses specific needs as follows: 1) The demand for a comprehensive and holistic theoretical framework for understanding three aspects of value co-creation in libraries as public services: i) its nature and characteristics, ii) its modes of organization and implementation and iii) its impacts. 2) The necessity to investigate value co-creation on three service-related co-creation areas of libraries transformation: digital transformation of libraries, social entrepreneurship and innovative structural relationships between public-private-third sector innovation networks; and innovation and living labs; 3)The urgency to analyze barriers and drivers’ indicators and future trends for value co-creation in libraries, the role of supervising authorities, and the transformation of research findings into libraries' innovation through actionable policy recommendations, libraries’ pilot projects and actions, and by facilitating peer-to-peer knowledge exchange to ensure implementation.
The LibrarIN project started on November 1st, 2022. The initial reporting phase, spanning from November 1st, 2022, to October 31st, 2023, aligns with project months M1 to M12, respectively. This inaugural reporting period has served to crystallize the project's strategic approach, showcasing its initial value through the preliminary outcomes of research tasks. In accordance with contractual obligations outlined for the first reporting period, the project successfully executed the following key activities and achieved the milestones of the first year:
• Literature reviews and conceptual framework based on societal transitions affecting libraries nowadays. Generating literature reviews has been necessary to build a comprehensive and holistic theoretical framework to understand value co-creation and types of innovation and services in public and academic libraries.
• Basis for case studies and use case initiatives in actual libraries that demonstrate an enhanced and novel understanding of participation and value co-creation in public libraries. This includes core concepts that pave the way for changes towards sustainability through innovation.
• First steps to develop new approaches to measuring emerging trends at the library level. This includes new indicators for monitoring the innovations in the libraries.
• First steps towards novel evidence on service innovation in European libraries addressing their stakeholders, drivers, facilitators, barriers and impacts, with a focus on co-innovation and co-creations.
• First steps (e.g. protocol design, initial interactions with libraries) towards research and innovation lighthouse aiming to encourage co-productions and strengthen collaborative operational capacities within EU libraries.
• A library stakeholder panel was set up, and workshops and seminars at the local/regional/national/European levels to generate an understanding of the drivers, facilitators, barriers and impacts, with a focus on co-innovation in public and University libraries. The stakeholder panel enables direct assessment and guidance of co-creation initiatives (use cases) and interaction of policy- and decision-makers with stakeholders.
• Literature reviews and conceptual framework based on societal transitions affecting libraries nowadays. Generating literature reviews has been necessary to build a comprehensive and holistic theoretical framework to understand value co-creation and types of innovation and services in public and academic libraries.
• Basis for case studies and use case initiatives in actual libraries that demonstrate an enhanced and novel understanding of participation and value co-creation in public libraries. This includes core concepts that pave the way for changes towards sustainability through innovation.
• First steps to develop new approaches to measuring emerging trends at the library level. This includes new indicators for monitoring the innovations in the libraries.
• First steps towards novel evidence on service innovation in European libraries addressing their stakeholders, drivers, facilitators, barriers and impacts, with a focus on co-innovation and co-creations.
• First steps (e.g. protocol design, initial interactions with libraries) towards research and innovation lighthouse aiming to encourage co-productions and strengthen collaborative operational capacities within EU libraries.
• A library stakeholder panel was set up, and workshops and seminars at the local/regional/national/European levels to generate an understanding of the drivers, facilitators, barriers and impacts, with a focus on co-innovation in public and University libraries. The stakeholder panel enables direct assessment and guidance of co-creation initiatives (use cases) and interaction of policy- and decision-makers with stakeholders.
Out of the 11 deliverables generated by the 7 work packages within the LibrarIN project, noteworthy scientific impacts have emerged. These deliverables encapsulate the achievements in line with the objectives set for the initial phase of the project, including:
• Establishing foundational elements for an analytical framework dedicated to investigating innovation and value co-creation in libraries.
• Presenting comprehensive literature reviews on diverse facets of library innovation, encompassing living labs, social networks, and digital transformation.
• Laying the groundwork for empirical work, comprising case studies and surveys across various European libraries.
• Notably advancing beyond the current state of the art, LibrarIN, for the first time, provides a holistic perspective on innovation in libraries with a focal point on value co-creation. The LibrarIN approach introduces radical novelty, wherein technological elements, such as digitalization, and non-technological innovations, such as new services like living labs, are viewed as complementary. This approach actively involves citizen and end-user engagement, marking a pivotal shift in library innovation strategies.
• Establishing foundational elements for an analytical framework dedicated to investigating innovation and value co-creation in libraries.
• Presenting comprehensive literature reviews on diverse facets of library innovation, encompassing living labs, social networks, and digital transformation.
• Laying the groundwork for empirical work, comprising case studies and surveys across various European libraries.
• Notably advancing beyond the current state of the art, LibrarIN, for the first time, provides a holistic perspective on innovation in libraries with a focal point on value co-creation. The LibrarIN approach introduces radical novelty, wherein technological elements, such as digitalization, and non-technological innovations, such as new services like living labs, are viewed as complementary. This approach actively involves citizen and end-user engagement, marking a pivotal shift in library innovation strategies.