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2024
The first edition of Sentolib in 2024 was a great success, with over 160,000 respondents sharing their opinions on the services and impact of libraries. More than 1,150 library locations participated in this large-scale study. The results provide valuable insights for libraries to optimize their services and respond to the needs of their visitors and various target groups.
Due to its success and at the explicit request of many libraries, it was decided to transform Sentolib into a permanent tool that will be repeated annually. This offers participating libraries the opportunity not only to gain up-to-date insights but also to track the evolution of their results and efforts at regular intervals of their choosing. Libraries participating for the first time can use their participation as a baseline measurement and immediately (anonymously) benchmark their results against a cluster of similar libraries as well as national and international outcomes.
With these research results, libraries can strengthen their position at local, national, and international levels. The collected data provides not only valuable insights into the needs and satisfaction of users and diverse audiences but also enables libraries to demonstrate their societal impact in a well-founded way. This helps them clearly highlight their role and contribution in areas such as education, inclusion, and culture.
Moreover, the annual repetition of Sentolib gives libraries the ability to track trends and compare their own results, both within their institution and with other libraries internationally. This makes Sentolib a powerful tool for libraries to substantiate their relevance in policy discussions and advocacy, locally, nationally, and internationally, and to strengthen their position within the cultural and public sector.
Francis De Bonnaire from Sentolib presented some interesting results from the Sentolib Study, Edition 24, at the 33rd EBLIDA Council and Annual Conference (EBLIDA 2025).
As Senior Researcher and co-coordinator of this European library study, he also shared insights from his extensive experience with audience research in the cultural sector. His approach focuses on making such research accessible to cultural organizations of all sizes.
Watch the webinar with the results from Edition '24 here
Thanks to the collective effort of all participating libraries and their respondents, Sentolib Edition 24 was able to help protect no less than 164,271 m² of endangered habitats and their wildlife through World Land Trust. 🌿🐾
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed! 💚
Pilot Study
Before the launch of the 2024 edition of this international study, a successful pilot study was conducted in Belgium, in collaboration with the library association VVBAD, cult!, OP/TIL, and the University of Antwerp.
This pilot study was successfully carried out with 150 libraries. The participating libraries reflected the diversity of the library landscape, with both small and large libraries as well as various types of libraries taking part.
The results of the pilot study showed that library visitors are highly satisfied with their libraries and their library experiences. It also demonstrated that local libraries play a strong social role and have a positive impact on the development and well-being of their visitors.
The study concluded with a dedicated study day for all participating libraries.
“This study is a wonderful opportunity for libraries to get to know their audience in detail through an accessible and user-friendly method, and to involve them in the library’s operations. The pilot study gave us detailed feedback about the library and its visitors, which has been very useful in our daily work. The benchmarking with other libraries was also very interesting.
The study further highlighted the importance and very positive impact of our library on the well-being of our visitors. For us, the research is a welcome tool to support conversations with our stakeholders using solid data."
Viviane Dirckx, Genk Library
Prof. dr Annick Schramme
At the end of this successful pilot study, a study day was organized for the participating libraries.
The study day included an in-depth presentation of the results, along with practical guidelines and tips on how to work with the library’s own research report. The day concluded with an engaging panel discussion.
The enthusiastic responses during the study day made it clear that the study was an absolute added value for the many libraries that participated.
For them, it proved to be very important to have structured and evidence-based data about their own library and visitors, and to be able to anonymously benchmark these against similar libraries.