What Future Library does

Future Library is a Greek civil non-profit organization (Αστική Μη Κερδοσκοπική Εταιρεία) established in 2011 and headquartered in Veria, Greece, with a 5-person staff. Its mission is to strengthen public and municipal libraries as institutions of knowledge, creativity, and social interaction. The organization serves libraries and the communities they serve across Greece and the broader Balkans, working primarily with municipal governments, library staff, and library patrons including children and youth.

Future Library's core offerings are programs and services rather than commercial products. They include a Collection Development Program (annual book donation initiative — over 42,476 books to 73 libraries since 2012 and 50,000+ publications to 70 libraries from 2012–2021), Children's Libraries (reading and creativity programs), Media Labs (multi-media arts/technology workshops, music recording studios, co-work spaces), Mobile Libraries (operational support since 2016 for the Veria Central Public Library), Library Leadership Workshops (including the INELI-Balkans program across 11 countries), and the Refugee Storytelling Platform (refugeelives.eu), a digital storytelling platform funded by the European Commission's Creative Europe and ICT-PSP programmes that contributes to Europeana. Underlying technology is light: a community-driven library support platform plus a domain-specialized digital storytelling platform for refugees; no proprietary AI/ML or software product is described.

Future Library operates as a grant-funded non-profit and does not sell products or services. Revenue is sourced entirely from foundation grants and donations, with the Social & Cultural Affairs Welfare Foundation (Κ.Ι.Κ.Π.Ε.) as the primary ongoing supporter since 2012, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation as founding donor (2011), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as program funder (notably the 2010 Access to Learning Award and the INELI-Balkans program), and the European Commission via ICT-PSP and Creative Europe. Distribution is direct-to-library through foundation partnerships and direct coordination with public/municipal library systems across Greece and the Balkans. Marketing/awareness channels are limited to organic social (Facebook, YouTube), an email newsletter, a bilingual website, and PR/earned media.

Name

Future Library

Legal name

ΑΣΤΙΚΗ ΜΗ ΚΕΡΔ. ΕΤΑΙΡΕΙΑ ΠΡΟΩΘ. ΚΑΙΝΟΤΟΜΙΑΣ ΔΗΜΙΟΥΡΓΙΚΟΤΗΤΑΣ & ΚΟΙΝΩΝΙΚΩΝ ΔΙΚΤΥΩΝ ΣΕ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΣΤΙΚΑ ΙΔΡΥΜΑΤΑ FUTURE LIBRARY

Website

https://futurelibrary.gr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Future Library is a Greek non-profit organization that strengthens public and municipal libraries across Greece and 11 Balkan countries through book donations, mobile library operations, children's library development, media labs, and professional leadership programs funded by major foundations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Library Support Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Libraries and Archives (519210), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Libraries & Information Services (BPAIACAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF), Public Library Operations & Community Branch Management (EDAEAGAC), Digital Library & Electronic Resources Operations (e-Resources, Repositories, Licensing) (EDAEAGAF)

Keywords

• Library support services
• Non-profit library programs
• Children's library services
• Book donation programs
• Library leadership training

Headquarters

HQ city

Veria

HQ country

Greece

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants and Donations: As a non-profit organization, Future Library operates primarily through grants and donations from foundations including Κ.Ι.Κ.Π.Ε., Stavros Niarchos Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and European Commission programs (ICT-PSP, Creative Europe).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Future Library is a Greek civil non-profit organization that supports public and municipal libraries in Greece and 11 Balkan countries through a portfolio of programs: Children's Libraries (reading and creativity programs), Media Labs (arts and technology workshops), Mobile Libraries (operations support, particularly for Veria Central Public Library), an annual Collection Development Program donating books to libraries, Library Leadership Workshops (including the INELI-Balkans program), and a Refugee Storytelling Platform (refugeelives.eu). The organization operates free of charge, funded by grants and donations from foundations and institutional donors.

Product overview

Future Library operates as a unified non-profit initiative offering multiple interconnected library support programs and services. The core offerings include Children's Libraries (child-focused reading and creativity programs), Media Labs (arts and technology workshops), Mobile Libraries (extending library reach), and Collection Development Programs (book donations). The organization also provides Leadership Workshops for librarian development and maintains a Refugee Storytelling Platform for digital cultural engagement. These programs work together to strengthen public library infrastructure and services across Greece and the Balkans.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Children's Libraries Child-focused library spaces and reading campaigns around Greece that promote reading and creativity, empowering children to become lifelong readers. Designed for public and municipal libraries and the children they serve.
• Media Labs Multi-media workshops offering spaces for making, learning, playing, and sharing arts and technology, including studios for music recording and co-work spaces. Aimed at youth and community members using public libraries.
• Mobile Libraries Operational support for mobile library units, particularly for the Veria Central Public Library, extending library services to underserved communities in the Veria region of Greece.
• Collection Development Program Annual book donation program funded by Κ.Ι.Κ.Π.Ε., providing new publications to public and municipal libraries across Greece. Over 42,476 books have been donated to 73 libraries since 2012, and more than 50,000 publications delivered to 70 libraries from 2012-2021. In 2022, 13 libraries received 5,000 books.
• Library Leadership Workshops (INELI-Balkans) Training and development programs for library staff, including leadership workshops and unconference sessions for emerging library leaders across 11 Balkan countries: Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, North Macedonia, Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia. Supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Global Libraries Initiative.
• Refugee Storytelling Platform (refugeelives.eu) A digital storytelling platform developed for refugees (refugeelives.eu), funded through the European Commission's Creative Europe Programme, enabling refugees to share their stories and contributing to the Europeana digital cultural heritage platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• 42,476 books donated to 73 libraries since 2012
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Veria Central Public Library (Δημόσια Κεντρική Βιβλιοθήκη Βέροιας)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFuture Library is hosted at the award-winning Veria Central Public Library. Since 2016, Future Library supports the operation of the library's mobile libraries. The library won the 2010 Access to Learning Award for innovative space and service development.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bibliothèques Sans Frontières (Libraries Without Borders): France-headquartered non-profit that supports library access and innovative library programming in crisis-affected and underserved regions globally. Highly comparable to Future Library's mission of strengthening libraries as community knowledge and creativity hubs.
• Book Aid International: UK-registered charity that donates new books to public, community, and school libraries across sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. Closely mirrors Future Library's core book-donation-to-public-libraries model and target beneficiary type.
• Biblionef: Netherlands-based foundation that donates new books to libraries and schools in developing countries to promote literacy. Closely comparable to Future Library's book-donation model targeting public and municipal libraries in underserved regions.
• Worldreader: Non-profit that provides digital reading content and e-books to libraries and schools in underserved communities worldwide. Comparable to Future Library as a library-focused non-profit, though with a digital-content delivery model rather than physical book donations.
• Room to Read: Global non-profit that develops literacy skills and establishes school and community libraries in low-income countries. Comparable as a non-profit that builds and supports library infrastructure and reading programs across multiple countries, though it focuses more on school libraries.
• EIFL (Electronic Information for Libraries): International non-profit that enables library access to digital information in developing and transition countries. Directly comparable as a multi-country library-capacity-building organization working with public library networks across Europe, Africa, and Asia.
• Library For All: Non-profit building digital library platforms and supporting community libraries in low-resource countries. Comparable as a library-support non-profit combining digital product development with library capacity building.
• Beyond Access: IREX-led initiative supporting the role of public libraries in advancing development goals across Eastern Europe, Asia, and Africa. Comparable as a multi-country initiative that builds the capacity of public library systems with library leader development programs.

Others

• IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions): Global professional association representing library and information associations and institutions. Operates adjacent to Future Library's mission by advocating for and supporting public library development, though it functions as a member association rather than a program-delivery non-profit.

Broad incumbents

• Internet Archive: US-based non-profit digital library offering universal access to books, media, and cultural artifacts. Broader in scope than Future Library but tangentially comparable as a large-scale library-services non-profit with digital collections.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC6yZlWpmImmBz201cKx5cSg?view_as=subscriber
• Facebookfacebook.com/futurelibrary.gr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/future-library

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Future Library