Citizen science in libraries worldwide: A systematic review
Abstract
Open science and citizen science aim to make scientific research more inclusive, accessible, and transparent by involving the public in various aspects of the research process. Previous systematic reviews have explored the role of citizen science, focusing on specific regions, library types, or thematic areas. However, a comprehensive, global review addressing all library types and their involvement in citizen science is lacking. This study provides a systematic overview of the global landscape of citizen science in libraries, identifying key theoretical concepts, practical implementations, and national trends. A systematic review was conducted across four major databases: Web of Science, Scopus, LISTA, and Library & Information Science Collection. Papers were included in the research based on their relevance to citizen science in libraries, with criteria encompassing all library types, global geographical coverage, and multilingual sources. A total of 58 papers directly addressing libraries and citizen science were analyzed. The findings reveal that the analyzed works address several key theoretical topics and concepts, including open science as a central concept, libraries as facilitators and hubs for engagement, community engagement and crowdsourcing, educational roles and capacity building, digital humanities and historical projects, and contributions to sustainable development. Examples of practical implementations include transcription and annotation projects, crowdsourcing and community engagement, health and environmental citizen science, and digital innovation. At the national level, studies focus on higher education libraries, public libraries, perceptions and collaboration, frameworks for sustainability, and bridging the gaps between science and society. Although the analysis provides valuable insights into citizen science initiatives, the study could not directly confirm that these publications have shaped or influenced specific projects or their recommendations, highlighting this as an area for further research. This research concludes that libraries worldwide are well-positioned to act as key enablers of citizen science by addressing challenges and adopting best practices. This review highlights diverse approaches to developing a library’s roadmap for engaging in citizen science initiatives.
Get full access to this article
View all access and purchase options for this article.
References
Anglada LM (2019) Many changes and some certainties for research and special libraries, and documentation centers. Profesional de La Informacion 28(1): 1–9.
Ayris P, Ignat T (2018) Defining the role of libraries in the open science landscape: A reflection on current European practice. Open Information Science 2(1): 1–22.
Ayris P, Bernal I, Cavalli V, et al. (2018) LIBER Open Science Roadmap. Zenodo: LIBER, pp. 1–27.
Barber ST (2018) The Zooniverse is expanding: Crowdsourced solutions to the hidden collections problem and the rise of the revolutionary cataloging interface. Journal of Library Metadata 18(2): 85–111.
Beales DL (2016) Citizen science on social media: One medical librarian’s experience of launching and maintaining a moderated Facebook citizen science discussion group (www.Facebook.com/groups/BiomeReconstitution). Journal of Hospital Librarianship 16(1): 14–24.
Blatt AJ (2015) The benefits and risks of volunteered geographic information. Journal of Map & Geography Libraries 11(1): 99–104.
Bonney R (1996) Citizen science: A lab tradition. Living Bird 15(4): 7–15.
Cassella M (2022a) La scienza di tutti: Citizen science, open science e terza missione: Una relazione che emerge [Science for everyone: Citizen science, open science and third mission: An emerging relationship]. Biblioteche Oggi 40(1): 6–12.
Cassella M (2022b) Quando la scienza diventa partecipata: La valorizzazione delle collezioni speciali attraverso il crowdsourcing [When science becomes participatory: The valorization of special collections through crowdsourcing]. Biblioteche Oggi 40(5): 5–12.
Cassella M (2023) Citizen science, open science e digital humanities: Relazioni e contaminazioni: La diffusione dei progetti di scienza aperta nelle scienze umane e sociali. Biblioteche Oggi 41(1): 6–12.
Cassella M, Madonna N (2019) Academic and research libraries: Third mission between experience of practice and theory (CNR, Rome, 9 April 2019). Bibliothecae.It 8(1): 285–308.
Cigarini A, Bonhoure I, Vicens J, et al. (2021) Public libraries embrace citizen science: Strengths and challenges. Library & Information Science Research 43(2): 107713–107718.
Cohen CM, Cheney L, Lea B, et al. (2015) Identifying opportunities in citizen science for academic libraries. Issues in Science & Technology Librarianship 79: 1–13.
Cox A (2024) Toward a georeferencing commons: A crowdsourcing case study and the creation of OldInsuranceMaps.net. Journal of Map & Geography Libraries 19: 160–225.
Dakić N, Trtovac A, Janković D (2023) The role of university libraries in the implementation and dissemination of the citizen science concept. Biblioteka LXV (1): 39–52.
Díaz-López L, Ortiz JT, Contreras CP (2019) Strategies for inclusive and safe education using virtual reality: From the digital library perspective. Digital Library Perspectives 35(3/4): 216–226.
Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (European Commission) (2015) Open Innovation, Open Science, Open to the World – A Vision for Europe. Brussels: Publications Office of European Union.
du Bruyn K (2023) Perceptions of engineering researchers towards citizen science: A case study at a university of technology. South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science 89(1): 1–12.
Duke M (2015) Lay summaries for research articles: A citizen science approach to bridge the gap in access. In: New Avenues for Electronic Publishing in the Age of Infinite Collections and Citizen Science. Amsterdam: IOS Press, pp.1–7.
Ellis S (2014) A history of collaboration, a future in crowdsourcing: Positive impacts of cooperation on British librarianship. Libri 64(1): 1–10.
European Commission (2018) Open Science Policy Platform Recommendations. Bruselles: European Commission.
Fecher B, Friesike S (2014) Open Science: One term, five schools of thought. In: Bartling S, Friesike S (eds) Opening Science. Cham: Springer.
Gardner CC, Gardner GJ (2017) Fast and furious (at publishers): The motivations behind crowdsourced research sharing. College & Research Libraries 78(2): 131–149.
Gibson T, Murray SJ, Erdelez S, et al. (2018) Digital humanities, libraries, and crowdsourcing: Foundations of digital textual technologies. Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology 55(1): 808–810.
Giustini D, Read KB, Deardorff A, et al. (2021) Health sciences librarians’ engagement in open science: A scoping review. Journal of the Medical Library Association JMLA 109(4): 540–560.
Guedes Farias MG, de Andrade Maia FC, de Lima Santos NN (2023) Divulgação científica em bibliotecas universitárias: Reflexões e possíveis caminhos [Scientific dissemination in university libraries: Reflections and possible paths]. Palabra Clave 13(1): 1–16.
Gupta A, Talluri SG, Ghosh S (2024) Inclusive science communication approaches through an equity, diversity, inclusion, and social justice (EDISJ) lens. Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship 105: 1–21.
Haklay M (2013) Citizen science and volunteered geographic information: Overview and typology of participation. In: Sui D, Elwood S, Goodchild M (eds) Crowdsourcing Geographic Knowledge: Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) in Theory and Practice. Berlin/Heidelberg: Springer.
Haklay M, Dörler D, Heigi F, et al. (2021) What is citizen science? The challenges of definition. In: Vohland K, Land-Zandstra A, Ceccaroni L, et al. (eds) The Science of Citizen Science. Cham: Springer, pp. 13–33.
Hecker S, Haklay M, Bowser A, et al. (2018) Citizen Science: Innovation in Open Science, Society and Policy. London: UCL Press.
Hermann K, Langer R (2022) Altbestand.digital – Neue Formen der Kooperation zwischen Öffentlicher und wissenschaftlichen Bibliotheken in Sachsen [Altbestand.digital—New forms of cooperation between public and academic libraries in Saxony]. 027.7 9(3): 1–15.
Hernández-Pérez O, Vilariño F, Domènech M (2022) Public libraries engaging communities through technology and innovation: Insights from the Library Living Lab. Public Library Quarterly 41(1): 17–42.
Holley R (2010) Crowdsourcing: How and why should libraries do it? D-Lib Magazine 16(3/4): 1–21.
Ignat T, Ayris P (2020) Built to last! Embedding open science principles and practice into European universities. Insights the UKSG Journal 33(9–12): 1–19.
Ignat T, Ayris P, Labastida I, et al. (2018) Merry work: Libraries and citizen science. Insights the UKSG Journal 31: 1–10.
Ignat T, Cavalier D, Nickerson C (2019) Citizen science and libraries: Waltzing towards a collaboration. VOEB-Mitteilungen 72(2): 328–336.
Irwin A (1995) Citizen Science: A study of People, Expertise and Sustainable Development. London: Routledge.
Ivanjko T, Zlodi G, Horvat Z (2024) Građanska znanost [Citizen Science]. Zagreb, Croatia: FF-Press. Available at: https://openbooks.ffzg.unizg.hr/index.php/FFpress/catalog/book/172 (accessed 23 February 2024).
Kaarsted T, Blake O, Nielsen KH, et al. (2023) How European research libraries can support citizen-enhanced open science. Open Information Science 7(1): 1–21.
Kennan MA, Williamson K, Johanson G (2012) Wild data: Collaborative e-research and university libraries. Australian Academic & Research Libraries 43(1): 56–79.
Kern V (2022) Going public: Library support for knowledge translation and mobilization for the public good. Journal of Library Administration 62(3): 312–333.
Land-Zandstra A, Agnello G, Gültekin YS (2021) Participants in citizen science. In: Vohland K, Land-Zandstra A, Ceccaroni L (eds) The Science of Citizen Science. Cham: Springer, p.2021.
Ledl A (2022) Systematic reviews – Ein Trend für Wissenschaftliche und Öffentlichen Bibliotheken [Systematic reviews—A trend for academic and public libraries]. Journal for Library Culture 9(3): 1–23.
Lehmkuhl U (2023) Collecting, digitizing, and archiving of migrant correspondence: Libraries and citizen scientists as central actors in the digital work process. Bibliotek Forschung und Praxis 47(3): 514–524.
Liu L, Liu W (2023) The engagement of academic libraries in open science: A systematic review. Journal of Academic Librarianship 49(3): 1–13.
Martek A, Mučnjak D, Mumelaš D (2022) Citizen science in Europe—Challenges in conducting citizen science activities in cooperation of university and public libraries. Publications 10(4): 1–13.
Morriello R (2021) Citizen science: One of the eight pillars of open science identified by the European Union. JLIS.it 12(3): 33–52.
Mumelaš D (2023) Građanska znanost i knjižnice kao njezini provoditelji [Citizen science and libraries as its implementers]. Vjesnik bibliotekara Hrvatske 66(1): 105–138.
Mumelaš D, Martek A (2024) Benefits of citizen science for libraries. Publications 12(1): 1–14.
Munke JBM (2022) Digitale Wissenschaftskommunikation im und mit dem Wikiversum: Erfahrungen aus der SLUB Dresden [Digital science communication in and with the Wikiverse: Experiences from the SLUB Dresden]. Journal for Library Culture 9(3): 1–24.
Munke M (2023) Offene Kulturdaten regional [Open cultural data regionally]. Zeitschrift Für Bibliothekswesen Und Bibliographie 70(2): 74–83.
Nockels J, Gooding P, Ames S, et al. (2022) Understanding the application of handwritten text recognition technology in heritage contexts: A systematic review of transkribus in published research. Archival science 22(3): 367–392.
Nurfarawahidah B, Kaur K, Aspura MKYI (2023) Exploring citizen science participation and challenges in academic libraries: A comprehensive qualitative study. Pakistan Journal of Information Management and Libraries 25: 38–64.
OECD (2015) Making Open Science a Reality. OECD Science, Technology and Industry Policy Papers, No. 25. Paris: OECD Publishing.
Opryshko T, Nazarovets S (2021) Case study: Citizen science in digital humanities context. In DHW ‘21: Digital Humanities Workshop, December 23, 2021, Kyiv, Ukraine, pp.198–203. New York, NY, USA: ACM.
Overgaard AK, Kaarsted T (2018) A new trend in media and library collaboration within citizen science? The case of ‘A healthier Funen’. LIBER Quarterly 28(1): 1–17.
Pääkkönen T (2015) Crowdsourcing metrics of digital collections. LIBER Quarterly 25(2): 41–55.
Proulx G (2020) From volunteering to crowdsourcing: The evolution of citizen participation in libraries. Documentation et bibliotheques 66(3): 47–54.
Rammutloa MW (2023) The missing link: The capacity development for academic librarians to sustain citizen science at university libraries. Library Management 44(6–7): 437–447.
Rammutloa MW, Jacobs L (2023) Leading the way: University libraries advancing sustainable development goals. In IATUL Annual Conference Proceedings. Dubai: Zayed University, pp.181–207.
Rehbein M, Ernst M (2023) Erschließung handschriftlicher Dokumente zwischen Fachwissen, Citizen Science und KI [Accessing handwritten documents between expertise, citizen science and AI]. Bibliotek Forschung und Praxis 47(3): 503–513.
Rubinstein A (2019) Historical corpora meet the digital humanities: The Jerusalem Corpus of Emergent Modern Hebrew. Language Resources and Evaluation 53(4): 807–835.
Rykhtorova AE (2022) The role of libraries in promoting knowledge: How to make science truly open? Nauchnye i Tekhnicheskie Biblioteki-Scientific and Technical Libraries 9: 15–32.
Schmitz UAJ (2022) Profiteure von Open Access außerhalb der Wissenschaft oder: Warum ist Open Access auch als Arbeitsfeld für öffentliche Bibliotheken interessant? [Beneficiaries of Open Access outside of academia or: Why is Open Access also an interesting field of work for public libraries?] Journal for Library Culture 9(3): 1–13.
Schoenenberger N, Zenzerović P, Tolić A (2020) Handbook of Citizen Science [Priručnik za građansku znanost]. Zagreb, Croatia: IRIM (In Croatian).
Schütte JM (2022) Die Zukunft der Kulturgutdigitalisierung an Landesbibliotheken am Beispiel der Badischen Landesbibliothek (BLB) [The future of cultural heritage digitization in state libraries using the example of the Badische Landesbibliothek (BLB)]. Bibliotheksdienst 56(2): 103–114.
Stanifer SR, Rademacher K, Beckett W, et al. (2024) Public library lending programs increase radon testing in rural communities. Library & Information Science Research 46(1): 101283–101310.
Ting Y, Jeng W (2023) Exploring data justice in citizen humanities: Case studies from memory institutions. Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology 60(1): 1149–1151.
Vicente-Saez R, Martinez-Fuentes C (2018) Open science now: A systematic literature review for an integrated definition. Journal of Business Research 88: 428–436.
Wehn U, Gobel C, Bowser A, et al. (2020) Global citizen science perspectives on open science. Written input by the CSGP Citizen Science & Open Science Community of Practice to the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science. Available at: https://pure.iiasa.ac.at/id/eprint/16729/1/CSGP%20CS&OS%20CoP%20Short%20paper%20on%20Open%20Science%20May%202020%20incl.%20Annex%201.pdf
Wiederkehr S (2019) Open data for the crowd: An account of citizen science at ETH Library. LIBER Quarterly 29(1): 1–10.
Witt AS, da Silva FCC (2024) Citizen science in libraries: Practices and possibilities. AtoZ 13: 1–11.
Xiao M, Wang X, Wang F, et al. (2022) Framework and development path of open science capability. Journal of Library and Information Sciences in Agriculture 34(9): 15–28.
Biographies
Dolores Mumelaš is a doctoral student at the University of Zagreb and a librarian at the National and University Library in Zagreb. She conducts citizen science activities and provides training for librarians. Her areas of interest include official publications, open and citizen science, information-referral services, sustainable development, and the development of user-focused services.
Ivana Matijević is a doctoral student at the University of Zagreb and a senior librarian at the National and University Library in Zagreb. Her work focuses on scholarly communication, bibliometric and research analyses, and the education of the Croatian academic and research community. She collaborates with several national and regional professional associations, committees, and projects related to electronic resources, open science, and emerging technologies. Her areas of interest include open science, research evaluation, digital infrastructures, and access to scientific information.
Tomislav Ivanjko is an Associate Professor at the Department of Information Sciences, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb. His research interests focus on practical and theoretical aspects of the impact of new technologies in the heritage area, with special emphasis on the use of social software, crowd work, citizen science and gamification in the field of knowledge organization in the digital environment. He researches and teaches courses on knowledge organization, information science and information technology.Tomislav Ivanjko is an Associate Professor at the Department of Information Sciences, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb. His research interests focus on practical and theoretical aspects of the impact of new technologies in the heritage area, with special emphasis on the use of social software, crowd work, citizen science and gamification in the field of knowledge organization in the digital environment. He researches and teaches courses on knowledge organization, information science and information technology.
Cite
Cite
Cite
OR
Download to reference manager
If you have citation software installed, you can download citation data to the citation manager of your choice
Information, rights and permissions
Information
Published In
Article first published online: June 26, 2025
Issue published: June 2026
Keywords
Article versions
You are viewing the most recent version of this article. To download and view previous versions, see below:
Authors
Metrics and citations
Metrics
Journals metrics
This article was published in Journal of Librarianship and Information Science.
View All Journal MetricsPublication usage*
Total views and downloads: 949
*Publication usage tracking started in December 2016
Publications citing this one
Receive email alerts when this publication is cited
Web of Science: 2 view articles Opens in new tab
Crossref: 1
- The role of Polish academic libraries in the development of citizen science: Engagement, challenges, and opportunities
Figures and tables
Figures & Media
Tables
View Options
Access options
If you have access to journal content via a personal subscription, university, library, employer or society, select from the options below:
I am signed in as:
View my profileSign out
I can access personal subscriptions, purchases, paired institutional access and free tools such as favourite journals, email alerts and saved searches.
loading institutional access options
Chartered Institute of Librarians and Information Professionals members can access journal content using society membership credentials.
Alternatively, view purchase options below:
Purchase 24 hour online access to view and download content.
Access journal content via a DeepDyve subscription or find out more about this option.
