Libraries Without Borders
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersPailherols, France
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Libraries Without Borders firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Libraries Without Borders
- Legal name
- Bibliothèques Sans Frontières
- Website
- https://librarieswithoutborders.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Libraries Without Borders industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Humanitarian Education Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Libraries and Archives (51921), Social Assistance (624), Individual and Family Services (6241)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Refugee, Crisis & Humanitarian Education Partnerships (EiE) (EDADALAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Library/Media Center & Digital Resource Management Systems (EDAJAMAN), Public Libraries & Information Services (BPAIACAO), Online-to-Offline Hybrid Language Immersion Programs (EDAIAEAK)
Keywords
Where Libraries Without Borders is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Pailherols
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Libraries Without Borders business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: LWB raises funds from individual donors through its website, online donation pages, and newsletter campaigns. Donors can make one-time or recurring (monthly) contributions. Tax deductions are available for donors in France (66% tax reduction up to 20% of taxable income) and the US (tax-exempt status).
- Institutional Grants and Government Funding: LWB receives significant funding from government agencies, international organizations, and development agencies including the French Development Agency (AFD), the Crisis and Support Center of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the UNDP, the European Union (via DIRECCT program), the L'Oréal Fund for Women, TotalEnergies Foundation, VINCI Corporate Foundation, Société Générale Group, and French ministries.
- Corporate Partnerships and Sponsorships: LWB receives support from corporate partners including the Prada Group (SEA BEYOND project), Orange Foundation (Khan Academy), Google.org (INCO program), Thales Foundation, TotalEnergies Foundation, VINCI Foundation, and Société Générale. Partnerships may include financial contributions, in-kind support, or co-development of programs.
- Social Enterprise (Kajou): BSF created the social enterprise Kajou, which makes medical knowledge accessible offline through a chatbot for community health agents in Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal, representing a revenue-generating social enterprise component.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels6 records
Libraries Without Borders product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Bibliothèques Sans Frontières (Libraries Without Borders) designs and deploys portable, offline-capable library and educational kits — primarily the Ideas Box (mobile multimedia center) and the Ideas Cube (offline Wi-Fi digital library) — to communities affected by humanitarian crises, displacement, and poverty. Programs are delivered through partnerships with NGOs, UN agencies, and governments, and include specialized variants for youth integration, ocean literacy, climate resilience, and bibliotherapy, along with social enterprise tools such as Kajou for community health agents.
Product overview
Libraries Without Borders (Bibliothèques Sans Frontières) is an NGO that creates innovative cultural and educational spaces rather than a traditional software company. Its core product portfolio centers on two flagship physical/digital library solutions: the Ideas Box (mobile multimedia center designed by Philippe Starck in 2014) and the Ideas Cube (offline digital library emitting Wi-Fi for up to 30 users). These core platforms are complemented by specialized variants including Pro'Pulsion for youth professional integration, SEA BEYOND Ideas Box for ocean literacy, and Ideas Cube for Resilience for climate education. Supporting products include Kajou (offline medical knowledge and chatbot), Khan Academy French Adaptation, Radio Box (portable radio studio), and Micro-libraries. Programs such as LIFT, Wash & Learn, and Digital Travellers extend reach, while emerging AI capabilities include a CRSV knowledge retrieval assistant, AI emotion identification for bibliotherapy, and the Kajou chatbot for offline medical guidance.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Ideas Box: Mobile multimedia center designed by Philippe Starck, providing access to books, games, tablets, and cultural resources for communities in crisis situations.
- Ideas Cube
- Pro'Pulsion
- BSF Campus
- LIFT
- Wash & Learn
- Digital Travellers (Les Voyageurs du Numérique)
- Radio des Mots
- BackUp
- Libraries of Emotions for Good
Quantifiable outcome
- 82% of BSF's budget dedicated to social missions (2015)
- +7 more outcomes
Companies that use Libraries Without Borders
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Libraries Without Borders technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability6 records
Feature7 records
Libraries Without Borders partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
24 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Ghent UniversitycoreBSF partners with Ghent University on research on bibliotherapy in the European cultural sector, including the development of an AI tool capable of identifying emotions associated with books to help facilitators better orient bibliotherapy sessions in Ukraine.
- Love for LivrescoreBSF works with the French organization Love for Livres to develop bibliotherapy spaces in Ukraine as part of the 'Libraries of Emotions for Good' European consortium program, alongside partners in Poland, Lithuania, Belgium, Slovenia, and Tunisia.
- Mukwege FoundationcoreBSF collaborates with the Mukwege Foundation (founded by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Denis Mukwege) to make the Foundation's Guidebook on State Obligations Regarding Conflict-Related Sexual Violence more accessible through an AI assistant, deployed as a pilot in DRC, Nigeria, and Ukraine.
- PleIAscoreBSF partners with PleIAs (a French AI organization) to develop an AI assistant making the Mukwege Foundation's conflict-related sexual violence guidebook more accessible and easier to understand for policymakers, justice professionals, lawyers, academics, NGOs, and survivor networks.
- Prada GroupcoreThe Prada Group, in partnership with UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), supports the SEA BEYOND Ideas Box project. BSF Italy manages deployment through FOQUS in Naples, and thematic content is integrated into Ideas Boxes in France, Burundi, and Côte d'Ivoire.
- UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC)coreUNESCO IOC co-designed the SEA BEYOND Ideas Box with BSF Italy, developing educational content on ocean conservation, biodiversity, climate change, and plastic pollution for deployment across BSF's international network of Ideas Boxes.
- Biblioteche Senza Frontiere Italia (BSF Italy)coreBSF Italy (Biblioteche Senza Frontiere) manages the SEA BEYOND Ideas Box in partnership with the Prada Group and UNESCO IOC, deploying it through FOQUS in Naples and coordinating the international program.
- Panzi FoundationcoreBSF manages an Ideas Cube and a library of over 1,000 books at the Dorcas House of the Panzi Foundation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, supporting women and children victims of sexual and psychological violence through educational and psychosocial activities.
- We Are NOT Weapons of War (WWoW)coreBSF partners with WWoW to deploy the BackUp web application and twenty Ideas Cubes in Nigeria's Sokoto, Adamawa, Yobe, and Zamfara states. WWoW developed the BackUp application, and BSF integrates it into its Ideas Cube digital libraries for offline access in conflict-affected areas.
- Université Côte d'AzurcoreBSF and Université Côte d'Azur co-organized the international symposium on conflict-related sexual violence in Nice in January 2024, and are collaborating on AI assistant development for the Mukwege Foundation guidebook.
- FOQUS - Fondazione Quartieri SpagnolicoreFOQUS - Fondazione Quartieri Spagnoli installed the SEA BEYOND Ideas Box on its premises in Naples, hosting an annual program of workshops and activities managed by Biblioteche Senza Frontiere Italia.
- ActedcoreBSF partners with Acted and REACH on the STRIVE project in Moldova's Anenii Noi region, funded by the French Development Agency, to assist local authorities and populations in adapting to climate risks through library-based resilience hubs.
- REACHcoreBSF partners with REACH on the STRIVE project in Moldova, conducting professional assessments to develop educational content aligned with the needs of librarians and communities facing climate risks.
- Making WavescoreBSF partners with Making Waves on the Radio des Mots initiative in French Guiana, using the Radiobox (a portable radio studio) as a tool to fight illiteracy. Making Waves provides the radio technology while BSF integrates it into its educational programs.
- UNDP (United Nations Development Program)coreBSF deployed an Ideas Box at the youth center in Mishiha commune, Burundi, with support from UNDP, to contribute to the reintegration of Burundian repatriates through access to educational, informational, and entrepreneurial resources.
- United Nations (UN) / Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in ConflictcoreFormal Framework of Cooperation signed in Paris on October 13, 2022, between BSF President Patrick Weil and UN Special Representative Pramila Patten. The partnership focuses on deploying modern technologies and the Ideas Box to support survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, their families, and communities with a survivor-centered approach.
- People in Need (Czech NGO)coreBSF deployed Ideas Box at the Child friendly space Parasolka in Drohobytch, Ukraine, managed by the Czech NGO People in Need. People in Need operates child-friendly spaces where displaced children and families access BSF's media library kits.
- Life Polska FoundationcoreTwo Ideas Box deployed at Life Polska Foundation in Warsaw to support Ukrainian refugee children and families. The Foundation organizes art workshops and educational activities using BSF's library resources.
- Kocham Debniki FoundationcoreIdeas Box deployed at the community center of the Kocham Debniki foundation in Krakow, Poland, to serve Ukrainian refugee children and families with cultural and educational resources.
- We World (Moldova)coreTwo Ideas Box deployed alongside We World organization and the National Library of Moldova in Chisinau, where animators, professors, and librarians organize activities using BSF's library contents.
- French Red CrosscoreBSF and the French Red Cross have deployed Ideas Box at several centers across Mayotte (Koungou, Dembéni, Bandrélé, and Sada) to encourage integration of disadvantaged teenagers and young adults, with Red Cross street educators using the media library kits.
- INCO (Education Accelerator)minorBSF joined the INCO Education Accelerator program, supported by Google.org, to fight school inequalities during the COVID-19 crisis through tutoring by phone with children accompanied by the Aurore Association and Samusocial of Paris.
- UNHCR and IRCcoreIn February 2014, BSF inaugurated the first Ideas Box kit in Burundi in partnership with UNHCR and IRC, deploying kits in three Congolese refugee camps (Bwagiriza, Musasa, and Kavumu).
- Khan Academy / Orange FoundationcoreSince 2013, BSF has been the official French partner for Khan Academy, translating and adapting the platform into French. The Orange Foundation supports this work, making over 5,000 educational videos available to 1.5 million French-speaking users.
Scale indicators16 records
Libraries Without Borders competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- UNICEF: UN agency delivering education-in-emergencies programming globally. BSF's UN Framework of Cooperation positions it as a UNICEF-adjacent implementing partner; comparable on EiE mandate, donor base, and field presence, though UNICEF operates at incomparably larger scale.
- Internet Archive: Large-scale digital library offering universal access to books, media, and archived web content. Comparable on digital library and information-access mission, though Internet Archive operates at vastly greater scale and in non-humanitarian contexts.
- International Rescue Committee (IRC): Major humanitarian NGO operating in crisis and conflict settings. BSF partnered with IRC on the inaugural Ideas Box deployment in Burundi (2014); comparable on humanitarian delivery model, though IRC is far larger and broader in scope.
- Khan Academy: Global educational content platform; BSF is Khan Academy's official French-language partner since 2013, translating and adapting 5,000+ videos. Closely comparable on educational content delivery, though Khan Academy is online-first and commercial-free rather than crisis-focused.
- Save the Children: Global NGO delivering education, health, and protection services for children in crisis. Comparable on education-in-emergencies mandate and country footprint, with overlapping geographies in Ukraine, West Africa, and the Middle East.
Direct peers
- Room to Read: Global non-profit that builds libraries, publishes local-language children's books, and supports literacy in low-income communities across 20+ countries. Highly comparable mission to BSF's library-focused humanitarian education work.
- READ Global: Non-profit that establishes community library and resource centers in rural Nepal, India, and Cambodia. Comparable model of building physical library infrastructure to expand educational access in underserved regions.
- War Child: International NGO providing education, protection, and psychosocial support to children affected by conflict. Comparable on humanitarian programming for conflict-affected children and families, with overlap in Ukraine, DRC, and Sahel theaters.
- Book Aid International: UK-registered charity that sends donated books to libraries, schools, and refugee camps across sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. Directly comparable on book donation, library distribution, and humanitarian program model.
Regional players
- Libraries Connected: UK membership organization supporting public libraries and digital inclusion. Comparable on library-services mission and digital-literacy programming, but primarily serves UK public libraries rather than humanitarian contexts.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Libraries Without Borders social profiles
Digital presenceLibraries Without Borders compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Libraries Without Borders financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Libraries Without Borders leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Libraries Without Borders subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Libraries Without Borders funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Libraries Without Borders M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
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Frequently asked questions about Libraries Without Borders
What does Libraries Without Borders do?
Bibliothèques Sans Frontières (Libraries Without Borders) designs and deploys portable, offline-capable library and educational kits — primarily the Ideas Box (mobile multimedia center) and the Ideas Cube (offline Wi-Fi digital library) — to communities affected by humanitarian crises, displacement, and poverty. Programs are delivered through partnerships with NGOs, UN agencies, and governments, and include specialized variants for youth integration, ocean literacy, climate resilience, and bibliotherapy, along with social enterprise tools such as Kajou for community health agents.
Is Libraries Without Borders a public or private company?
Libraries Without Borders is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Libraries Without Borders founded?
Libraries Without Borders was founded in 2007. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Libraries Without Borders based?
Libraries Without Borders is headquartered in Pailherols, France, in the Europe region.
How does Libraries Without Borders make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are institutional Grants and Government Funding, corporate Partnerships and Sponsorships and social Enterprise (Kajou).
Who are Libraries Without Borders's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are UNICEF, Internet Archive, International Rescue Committee (IRC), Khan Academy and Save the Children. Direct peers are Room to Read, READ Global, War Child and Book Aid International. Libraries Connected is listed as a regional player.
Does Libraries Without Borders have an API?
No public API is recorded for Libraries Without Borders.
What industry is Libraries Without Borders in?
Libraries Without Borders's product category is Humanitarian Education Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDADALAG, Refugee, Crisis & Humanitarian Education Partnerships (EiE), with a secondary code of EDAJAMAN, Library/Media Center & Digital Resource Management Systems. Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.