Library Innovation was my final project for Bachelor Top Up at VIA Design University College. It compared and analyzed innovation practices within libraries in two countries: Poland and Denmark.

Libraries are places that at some point in our life we all get familiar with. They provide us with free access to information, resources and knowledge. But lately, libraries have also transformed into social, cultural and creative hubs. They do not only give but also engage and encourage users to get involved.

Based on examples of two libraries from each of the countries different processes and approaches were being introduced in order to get a sense of how the innovation processes can be applied. It may not come as a surprise, that those mentioned above countries vary a lot. In Denmark, two innovative libraries show that applying innovation processes is doable, but also requires certain knowledge and environment (openness for creativity, engagement of designers and users, cooperation between two of those, etc). In Poland, on the other hand, not only Research and Development are still being restrained, but also business and organizational structure does not foster innovation in any cases.

September - December 2016, Herning, VIA University College