Structured Collaboration for Uncertain Times: The Role of Libraries in European Alliances

In the current era of rapid geopolitical and technological change, libraries play a pivotal role in safeguarding the stability, openness and continuity of the European knowledge ecosystem. The presentation will examine how the EU-funded CIVICA European University Alliance, which unites ten social science universities across Europe, is leveraging international collaboration to strengthen library services and resilience. This use case is indicative of more widespread changes in the governance of European higher education institutions, as evidenced by the emergence of the European Universities Initiative, which has been described as “an evolutionary and experimental network of university networks” (European Commission). 

Since 2020, CIVICA libraries have transitioned from traditional professional exchange to a structured, practice-driven model of cooperation. As Charret and Chankseliani (2023) note, alliances rely on pre-existing higher education and research partnerships while simultaneously experimenting with diverse institutional forms in order to achieve the ambitious goal of creating “European Universities”. Guided by a shared governance framework comprising a dedicated steering body and thematic working groups, the CIVICA library network has developed joint approaches to information literacy, research support, open science, resource licensing, artificial intelligence and staff development. 

These efforts have yielded a range of concrete library services, including the CIVICA OpenAIRE gateway for shared open-access outputs, coordinated e-book provision to support inter-campus teaching, a comprehensive information literacy “skills barometer” surveying over 72,000 students, cross-institutional online training, and sustained staff mobility and communities of practice, including the AI Community of Exchange. 

The presentation will argue that alliances such as CIVICA represent a paradigm shift in international library cooperation. Rather than ad hoc networking at conferences or reliance on Erasmus exchanges, alliances facilitate long-term, jointly funded and strategically aligned collaboration. This provides a more robust foundation for libraries to adapt to political, technological and economic uncertainty. 

Similar collaborative governance mechanisms have been observed in other European alliances, suggesting that structured cooperation can accelerate organisational learning and policy convergence across institutions. The presentation will outline the governance mechanisms that facilitate this cooperation, demonstrate the most impactful services, and address challenges at the library level, including legal diversity, uneven institutional capacities and cross-cultural coordination. Drawing on practical experience, it will conclude with reflections on the opportunities and constraints of alliance-based collaboration and offer recommendations on how libraries can remain strong and relevant in an uncertain world. 

Charret, J., & Chankseliani, M. (2023). The European Universities Initiative: Governance, experimentation and institutional transformation. European Journal of Higher Education, 13(2), 123–139. https://doi.org/10.1080/21568235.2022.2160023 

European Commission. (n.d.). European Universities Initiative. https://education.ec.europa.eu/education-levels/higher-education/european-universities-initiative