ELAN/ADELE Survey 2.0: mapping digital and AI readiness in Europe's public libraries

Banner for the ELAN/ADELE Digital & AI Readiness Survey 2.0, with logos of Public Libraries 2030, ELAN and ADELE

How ready are Europe's public libraries for artificial intelligence? This is the question at the heart of the ELAN/ADELE Survey 2.0, a Europe-wide self-assessment initiative hosted by PL2030 in collaboration with EBLIDA, launched as part of the ELAN project (European Library Associations Network, 2025–2028, funded under Creative Europe).

Why now

The timing is not incidental. Three developments are converging on the library sector: the EU AI Act's main rules apply from 2 August 2026, bringing an AI literacy obligation that covers library tools such as chatbots, recommenders and summarisers; the Digital Decade 2030 targets remain off track, with only 55.6% of EU adults having basic digital skills against an 80% target; and a 2026 OMC (Open Method of Coordination) report on the role of libraries names digital maturity as a strategic sector priority, while also pointing to a persistent gap: there is still no harmonised EU-level data on AI adoption, infrastructure or staff readiness across Europe's public libraries.

Building on ADELE

Survey 2.0 builds on the ADELE self-assessment framework, already tested with over 100 libraries across Europe under Erasmus+. This new edition expands ADELE to explicitly address artificial intelligence, data governance and the ethical questions that come with them, adding recommended AI-specific questions across all six areas of the original model:

Management - strategy, governance, AI policy
Infrastructure - equipment, software, AI tools, support
Professional development - staff training, CPD, AI literacy
Digital competences - self-assessed skills, including AI
Learning for users - programmes and AI literacy for the public
Collaboration - partnerships, networks, co-design

A short final section also gathers impact assessment data. The questionnaire adapts to the respondent: library managers (18-25 minutes) answer strategy- and governance-oriented items, staff (15-20 minutes) focus on day-to-day practice and training, and library users (5-8 minutes) share their experience of digital and AI services as members of the public. Responses are anonymous (only library name and country are collected, for benchmarking purposes) and the survey is currently available in English only.

Innovation already in practice

The survey builds on ground already covered by libraries across Europe. Recent examples collected in the ADELE and DigLib case study collections include a 24/7 AI chatbot at the Pencho Slaveykov Regional Library in Varna, Bulgaria, with a 92% user return rate; an AI-literacy and critical-thinking programme reaching over 500 participants at the Dâmbovița County Library in Târgoviște, Romania; and a co-created 3D virtual library, accessible via browser and VR headset, developed by Danish public libraries with young writers, artists and children.

A first Europe-wide picture

Through ELAN's network of national and regional library associations, the survey reaches over 70,000 libraries and more than 100 million users across all 27 EU Member States, aiming to produce the first comparable, Europe-wide assessment of library digital and AI readiness - giving EBLIDA, IFLA and EU institutions a shared evidence base. The survey is open until 31 July 2026; feedback sessions with respondents will follow in September, policy recommendations will be published in October-November 2026, and the findings will feed into EU library advocacy through 2030.

Take part

The survey is open to library managers, staff and users across Europe. It takes between 5 and 25 minutes depending on your role, and all responses are anonymous.
Take the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ELAN_Digital