librarin - Innovation and value co-creation for a new generation of libraries

Speakers

	Anthony Arundel – Professorial Fellow at MERIT, Maastricht University. A leading researcher in studies of innovation using surveys of businesses and public sector organizations, his research focuses on knowledge flows, innovation capabilities, outcomes, and indicators for measuring innovation activities. He has collaborated with the OECD and the European Commission on policy frameworks for biotechnology, intellectual property, and innovation. His publications cover intellectual property, knowledge diffusion in businesses, and the factors shaping innovation in the public sector.
	Andrew Cranfield – Interim Director at EBLIDA. A specialist in European library policies, he has played a key role in advocating for stronger libraries and library organizations across Europe. Andrew Cranfield has previously worked for EBLIDA from 2006-2009 and has also served on its Executive Committee from 2021-2025.Before joining EBLIDA as its director at the beginning of 2005, he has worked primarily in the public library sector in Denmark and held various management positions within the field. He is committed to ensuring that libraries continue to be democratic and open institutions, where citizens have access to information and knowledge, which they can trust and where libraries are strong facilitators of democratic values.
	Benoît Desmarchelier – Researcher at the University of Lille. Focuses on innovation in public-private networks, particularly in social and economic development. His research examines how businesses, universities, and governments collaborate to foster innovation. He has published on the role of institutional frameworks in knowledge transfer. Desmarchelier also investigates strategies for fostering entrepreneurship and technological advancements in regional economies.
	Lars Fuglsang – Professor at Roskilde University. A specialist in innovation studies, particularly in public sector and service innovation. His research explores how institutions develop and adopt new business models. He has been involved in European projects related to digital transformation in public administration. Fuglsang has also written extensively about organizational learning and creative problem-solving in policy-making.
	Faiz Gallouj – Professor at the University of Lille. An expert in service innovation, focusing on public-private partnerships and policy development. He has contributed to theoretical and empirical research on innovation in the service economy. His work is widely cited in academia and policy discussions. Gallouj has collaborated with international organizations, including the OECD, to analyze trends in service innovation.
	María José Gálvez Salvador – Director General of Books, Comics, and Reading, Spanish Ministry of Culture. A legal scholar with a Ph.D. in Law, she has dedicated her career to cultural policy and intellectual property rights. She has previously taught Constitutional Law and advised on legislative matters related to publishing. Gálvez has led initiatives to promote literature, translation, and national reading programs. She played a key role in establishing Spain’s National Comic Day.
	Laura Guindal Martínez – Deputy Director General of Library Coordination, Spanish Ministry of Culture. An expert in library management and digital preservation, she leads efforts to modernize Spain’s library system. She has been instrumental in national and international collaborations, such as Europeana. Her work includes developing policies for long-term digital preservation and heritage accessibility. Guindal has also contributed to initiatives aimed at increasing public access to cultural resources. She is Spain’s representative in the EU OMC expert group “Building Bridges”, which focuses on strengthening the multifaceted roles of libraries in fostering democracy, inclusion, and cultural participation across Europe.
	Julio Cordal Elviro – Head of the Library Projects Area at the Sub-Directorate General of Library Coordination, of the Ministry of Culture. He is currently in charge of digital libraries (Virtual Library of Historical Press and Virtual Library of Bibliographic Heritage) and the digitization and digital preservation projects of the SGCB, the national collector and aggregator of metadata Hispana, international digitization projects and relations with Europeana, of the library specialized in library collection Travesía, of the collective catalog Unique Reference Point of the libraries of the AGE (PCU) and of the development of the Kobli program, an open source OPAC. Specialising in digital libraries, digitisation and digital preservation, he has worked since 2010 in the Sub-Directorate General of Library Coordination, mainly in digitisation and digital preservation, and in the National Library, where he worked as a Technician in the Hispanic Digital Library and later, in a later period, as Head of Area, being in charge of said digital library and the digitisation and digital preservation projects of the BNE.
	Gloria Expósito Álvarez – Director of Digital Processes and Services, National Library of Spain. Aeronautical Engineer. In 2022 she joined the National Library as Computer Science Coordinator, directing software development, communications, systems and cybersecurity projects, and therefore participating in most of the BNE's lines of work, and since 2023 she has held the position of Director of Digital Processes and Services at the BNE. In this direction, projects are carried out in digitization, digital preservation, innovation, data reuse, catalog management and internal and external applications, website, electronic legal deposit, archive of the Spanish website, computer and storage systems, software development or cybersecurity. In addition, the development of AI is currently being promoted and participating in LLM projects at the national level, since the BNE is the main source of textual data in Spanish. She is a member of the Scientific Committee of the BNE.
	Stefaan Hermans – Director of Policy Strategy and Evaluation in the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture in the European Comission. Stefaan HERMANS is Director of Policy Strategy and Evaluation in the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture at the European Commission. He was Head of Cabinet of the Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility Marianne Thyssen in the Juncker Commission. Previous posts include Head of the ‘Universities and Researchers’, ‘Skills’, and ‘Reflective Societies’ Units in DG Research and Innovation, and Secretary of the Employment Committee of the European Union. He also lectures on EU Affairs at the KU Leuven.
	Ilona Kish – Director of Public Libraries 2030 (PL2030). An advocate for public libraries as centers of innovation and community engagement. Her work focuses on policy development, ensuring libraries remain relevant in the digital era. Kish has led European projects aimed at strengthening library networks and funding. She is actively involved in campaigns promoting literacy, digital skills, and social inclusion through libraries.
	Izabela Koryś – Head of the Libraries Development Unit at the National Library of Poland. A Polish sociologist specializing in readership studies and library science. She has worked at the Institute of Public Affairs and the International Organization for Migration. In 2008, she joined the National Library of Poland, where she heads the Libraries Development Unit from 2019. Her research explores reading habits, cultural participation, and library statistics.
	Helen Mandl – Deputy Secretary General at IFLA. Works on global library policies and initiatives to improve access to information. She has extensive experience in strategic planning for library institutions worldwide. Mandl supports international cooperation in knowledge sharing and professional development. She has played a key role in advocating for open access and digital transformation in libraries.
	Ines Mergel – Professor at the University of Konstanz. A scholar specializing in digital governance and public administration. Her research examines how governments adopt emerging technologies to improve transparency and efficiency. Mergel has advised public institutions on digital transformation strategies. She has published widely on topics such as artificial intelligence in public services and citizen engagement.
	Francesco Mureddu – Vice President for Development at the Lisbon Council. Francesco is a distinguished senior executive with a proven record of designing, implementing, and evaluating large-scale digital innovation initiatives. He is the leader of the EU account, and he is the coordinator of several research and innovation projects. Francesco’s work focuses on harnessing disruptive technologies—such as artificial intelligence, big data, open data, augmented/virtual reality, and edge computing—to improve policymaking and public service delivery. He is particularly invested in tackling societal challenges like climate change and urban sustainability through technology-driven approaches. Notably, he is exploring how smart cities can enhance efficiency and quality of life for residents, as well as investigating the potential of virtual worlds to offer novel ways of interacting, learning, and engaging in digital environments. A strong proponent of equitable and ethical digital transformation, Francesco underscores the importance of policy and regulation in ensuring that the benefits of emerging technologies are broadly shared across society.
	Luis Rubalcaba – Professor of Applied Economics at the University of Alcalá. A leading researcher in service economics, innovation (social innovation, public innovation and business innovation), service experience and international trade and competitiveness. He has worked as staff for international organizations such as the World Bank in Washington DC, US, and the European Commission, in Brussels, Belgium. He is the scientific coordinator of the Horizon Europe LibrarIN project on innovation and value cocreation for a new generation of European Libraries.
	José Vicente Saz Pérez – Rector of the University of Alcalá. A physician specializing in Microbiology and Parasitology, particularly zoonotic diseases. He has led research on infectious diseases and their impact on public health. Since 2018, he has served as Rector of the University of Alcalá, promoting academic excellence. His leadership has focused on expanding research programs and strengthening international collaborationsn.
	Carsten Schmidt - Researcher Konstanza University Experienced in judicial and digital governance, he served as a Senior Judicial Officer and contributed to national e-Justice working groups. At the Ministry of Justice NRW, he worked on strategic IT planning and European e-Justice initiatives, participating in EU expert groups and the Council’s e-Law working party. He led EU projects e-CODEX and e-SENS, advancing cross-border digital services. Furthermore, he contributed to the TOOP project at Tallinn University, and supported mGov4EU research at the University of Tartu. Since 2024 at the University of Konstanz, he is pursuing an external PhD focused on EU e-Government, interoperability, and sustainability.
	Stuart Snydman – He leads Library Technology Services at Harvard, overseeing strategic planning and development of enterprise systems that support library operations, digital preservation, and scholarly discovery. With a career spanning more than two decades, he has advanced open-source software development and collaborative infrastructure for digital libraries. He played a key role in founding the International Image Interoperability Framework and has led major library initiatives in digitization, repository services, artificial intelligence and access to unique cultural heritage collections.
	Anna Triantafillou – Senior Consultant and Director at the Athens Technology Center. With a background in Systems Science, Management, and Business Administration, Mrs. Triantafillou is a Senior Consultant and Director of the Innovation Lab at Athens Technology Center S.A. She has over 20 years of experience in Information Services, with a focus on digital transformation and innovation management. She has been involved in more than 40 innovation projects, with areas of specialization in digital platforms, the Internet of Things (IoT), big data, and artificial intelligence (AI). Mrs. Triantafillou has successfully coordinated numerous European and national R&D projects, aligning technological development with business requirements. She advises organisations on the adoption of emerging technologies and has collaborated with partners and institutions across Europe.
	Jacobo Vera – Head of Libnova. An expert in digital preservation solutions, ensuring long-term access to digital content. He works on developing systems for digital archiving and knowledge management. Vera collaborates with libraries and cultural institutions to safeguard historical documents. His expertise includes software solutions for digital heritage preservation.
	Hilde van Wijngaarden – Director of the University Library of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. A historian with expertise in digital preservation and automatic processing of historical data. She has worked on European projects related to digital archiving and library modernization. Van Wijngaarden has played a key role in the Netherlands' efforts to integrate AI in library services. She has published extensively on digital heritage management.
	Marieke Willems – Policy Analyst at the Lisbon Council. Specializes in public sector reform and digital innovation. She contributes to EU-funded research analyzing the impact of AI and emerging technologies on governance. Willems advises policymakers on strategies for digital inclusion and smart cities. Her research supports the development of sustainable digital transformation policies.
	Paul Windrum – Associate Professor at Nottingham University Business School. An expert in strategic innovation management, particularly in service innovation. His research explores how public and private sectors collaborate to foster new business models. Windrum has contributed to studies on sustainability, digital business strategies, and networked innovation. He advises institutions on developing innovation-friendly policies.