The European Database of Libraries

What The European Database of Libraries does

The European Database of Libraries Ltd (EDL) is a privately-held, family-owned UK information services company founded in 1989 by librarian-information specialist Alan Armstrong. It operates a proprietary database of approximately 30,000 named subject specialist librarians across 35 European countries, categorized by country, library type (Academic, Corporate/Industrial/Commercial, Government, Legal, Main Public Reference, Medical, Research), and subject interest across 24-26 main subject headings. The database is maintained in-house with daily updates and has never been purchased from or sold to third parties. EDL positions itself as a direct channel between international specialist publishers and end-purchasing librarians, addressing the publisher-side problem of reaching the correct subject decision-maker within large institutional library systems.

The company monetizes its database through two primary services: postal mailings at 80p per librarian selected (including data, envelopes, address printing, and fulfilment, with postage charged at cost) and email campaigns featuring HTML/text deployment, suppression file management, and real-time reporting on a quote-based pricing model. Optional ancillary revenue is generated through printing and folding services at £10 per 1,000 sheets. All campaign execution is handled in-house from the company's headquarters in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, with no third-party distribution. The business is GDPR compliant, operating as both Data Controller and Data Processor with data stored within the European Economic Area.

EDL targets publishers and information vendors as its customer base, with no publicly disclosed named customer logos. The firm runs a direct-to-consumer (publisher-facing) go-to-market motion, with Tom Armstrong (Managing Director) heading sales and marketing, Samantha Carradine managing database operations, and Alan Armstrong and Margaret Curzon handling daily library research and database maintenance. The company has remained profitable every year since inception and has retained all original staff, accountants, and bankers over its 30+ year history.

Name

The European Database of Libraries

Legal name

The European Database of Libraries Ltd

Website

https://eurolibraries.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The European Database of Libraries (EDL) operates a proprietary database of 30,000 named subject specialist librarians across 35 European countries, offering publishers and information vendors targeted postal mailings and email campaigns to reach purchasing decision-makers in academic, corporate, government, and research libraries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Library Direct Marketing Services

NAICS

Direct Mail Advertising (541860), Directory and Mailing List Publishers (51314)

SIC

Services-Direct Mail Advertising Services (7331)

akta.pro primary industry

Print‑to‑Mail & Distribution Services (Fulfillment, Kitting, Direct Mail to Students) (EDAEAJAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Document Databases (HDAEAAAI)

Keywords

• Library direct marketing
• Subject librarian database
• B2B email campaigns
• Postal mailings Europe
• Information vendor outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

Henley On Thames

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Postal Mailings to Libraries: Promotional material mailed to named subject specialist librarians. Pricing is per librarian selected and mailed at 80p regardless of country, including data, envelopes, printing, and fulfilment. Postage is extra.
2. Email Campaigns to Libraries: HTML and text email campaigns deployed to selected librarian segments. Includes setup, template integration, suppression file management, testing, real-time reporting, and unsubscribe management.
3. Printing and Folding Services: Optional printing and folding services for postal mailing materials at £10 per 1,000 sheets

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

The European Database of Libraries provides publishers and information vendors with targeted direct marketing access to 30,000 named subject specialist librarians across UK and continental Europe. The company delivers two fulfillment services: postal mailings (with addresses printed directly on envelopes) and email campaigns (with HTML setup, suppression handling, and real-time reporting), both powered by a proprietary in-house database segmented by country, library type, and subject interest. Pricing is per-librarian for postal mailings and quote-based for email campaigns, with no minimum order quantity.

Product overview

The European Database of Libraries provides a unified marketing platform consisting of three core services: a database of 30,000+ subject specialist librarians across 35 European countries, postal mailing services for physical direct mail campaigns, and email campaign services for electronic marketing. The database is categorized by Country, Library Type (Academic, Corporate/Industrial/Commercial, Government, Legal, Main Public Reference, Medical, and Research), and Subject Interest (24 main subject headings). The company operates as a direct channel between international publishers and specialist librarians, enabling targeted outreach based on subject specialization, library type, and geographic location.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Postal Mailings to Libraries Direct postal mailings to subject specialist librarians across UK and continental Europe, with addresses printed directly onto envelopes for fulfillment and dispatch from the Henley-on-Thames office. Pricing is 80p per librarian selected and mailed regardless of country, including data, envelopes, address printing, and fulfillment; postage is charged at cost based on insert size and weight. Targeted at publishers and information vendors marketing specialist content to European libraries.
• Email Campaigns to Libraries Email marketing campaigns delivered to selected subject specialist librarian segments across UK and continental Europe. Service includes HTML creative setup in the European Database of Libraries template, text version management, suppression file handling, testing, full campaign reporting with real-time tracking, and unsubscribe management. Quote-based pricing with no minimum order quantity and no hidden costs. Targeted at publishers and information vendors seeking electronic direct marketing reach to European libraries.
• Printing and Folding Services Optional printing and folding service for postal mailing materials, billed at £10 per 1,000 sheets. Provides pay-as-you-go printing support for publishers and information vendors executing postal campaigns through the European Database of Libraries.

Named customers2 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Others

• Springer Nature: Major international academic and scientific publisher. Comparable as a representative customer of EDL's services — publishers of this type use librarian-targeted direct mail and email campaigns to drive collection development sales.
• Elsevier: Largest academic publisher, with major European institutional library penetration. Comparable as a representative customer of EDL — Elsevier and similar publishers are primary buyers of librarian-targeted direct mail and email campaigns.
• Wiley: Global academic, scientific, and professional publisher. Comparable as a representative customer of EDL — academic publishers like Wiley rely on librarian-targeted outreach campaigns to influence European institutional purchasing.

Broad incumbents

• Dun & Bradstreet: Global B2B data and marketing list provider. Comparable as a large-scale proprietary database operator monetised through direct marketing channels, though at vastly larger scale and across all verticals rather than specialising in libraries.
• Swets Information Services: Historically a major European library subscription agency (now largely wound down). Cited as a comparable incumbent that once occupied a similar intermediary role between publishers and European library buyers before market consolidation.

Direct peers

• EBSCO Information Services: Major library subscription services and database provider serving academic, corporate, medical, and government libraries globally. Directly comparable as a vendor monetising institutional library relationships, though at vastly greater scale and with a broader product portfolio than EDL.
• Harrassowitz Verlag: German library book supplier and subscription agency serving academic and research libraries across Europe. Comparable as an intermediary connecting international publishers with European specialist library buyers.
• Coutts Information Services (Ingram Content Group): Library book and content supplier serving academic and public libraries across Europe and North America. Comparable as a library-channel intermediary linking publishers with European library purchasing decisions.
• GOBI Library and Information Solutions (YBP / EBSCO): Library acquisitions and collection development platform serving academic libraries globally. Comparable as a channel provider helping publishers reach European and North American librarian purchasing decision-makers.
• ProQuest (Clarivate): Academic library content and research database provider serving the same European university and research library segments that EDL targets. Comparable as a library-channel vendor monetising publisher-to-library relationships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/european-database-of-libraries-ltd

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The European Database of Libraries