Public Libraries Issue Digital Cards via EUDI Wallets - Library Services

Public and university libraries across EU adopt EUDI Wallets for digital library card issuance and book borrowing.

Why Libraries Are Embracing the EUDI Wallet

European libraries have long served as pillars of public access to knowledge, but the management of library cards has remained stubbornly analog in many jurisdictions. Physical cards are easily lost, forgotten, or damaged. Temporary visitor passes require manual data entry and photocopied identification. Inter-library loan systems often depend on faxed or emailed credential verifications that introduce delays and errors. The EUDI Wallet offers a fundamental shift in how libraries authenticate and serve their patrons.

Under the revised eIDAS Regulation (eIDAS 2.0), the European Digital Identity Wallet provides a standardized framework for issuing and verifying digital credentials across borders. For libraries, this means a patron registered at the Helsinki City Library could present the same digital credential at the Biblioteca Nacional de Espana in Madrid, with the receiving institution able to cryptographically verify the credential's authenticity in real time. This interoperability is made possible by the wallet's use of W3C Verifiable Credentials and ISO/IEC 18013-5 standards, which ensure that credentials issued by one institution can be reliably verified by another.

The economic case for adoption is also compelling. Libraries across the EU collectively spend millions annually on card production, replacement processing, and manual identity verification for new registrations. Digital credentials eliminate these costs while simultaneously improving the patron experience. Registration can happen entirely online: a citizen presents their EUDI Wallet identity credential, the library verifies their residency or eligibility, and a digital library card is issued directly to the wallet within seconds.

How Digital Library Credentials Work in Practice

The technical flow for EUDI-based library card issuance follows the established credential issuance protocol defined in the Architecture Reference Framework. When a patron registers at a library, either in person or online, the library's credential management system creates a verifiable credential containing the patron's membership details: library identifier, membership tier (standard, researcher, student), borrowing limits, and access permissions. This credential is signed with the library's qualified digital certificate and transmitted to the patron's EUDI Wallet.

At the point of service, whether a self-checkout kiosk, a staffed circulation desk, or an online database portal, the patron presents their digital library card from the wallet. The library's verification system checks the credential's cryptographic signature, confirms it has not been revoked, and validates the patron's identity through the wallet's selective disclosure mechanism. importantly, the library only receives the information it needs: for a simple book checkout, only the membership credential is required, not the patron's full identity details. This privacy-by-design approach aligns with GDPR principles and represents a significant improvement over traditional library registration systems that often collect and store excessive personal data.

For digital resources, the integration is even more smooth. Library-subscribed databases such as JSTOR, Springer Nature, and Europeana can verify a patron's library membership credential in the background during login, granting access without separate account creation. This eliminates the proliferation of usernames and passwords that currently fragments the academic research experience.

University Libraries and Student Identity Integration

University libraries stand to benefit enormously from EUDI Wallet integration because student identity verification is already a core use case for the wallet. Under the European Student Identifier initiative and the emerging European Student Card framework, universities across the EU are issuing student credentials as verifiable attestations in EUDI Wallets. Library access becomes an automatic extension of this credential: when a student enrolls and receives their digital student card, library privileges are embedded as an attribute or linked credential.

This integration solves several persistent problems in university library management. Visiting researchers from other institutions no longer need to apply for temporary guest cards through bureaucratic processes that can take days. Instead, they present their home university credential, and the host library can instantly verify their status and grant appropriate access. Erasmus students moving between universities during exchange programs carry their library privileges with them, accessing resources at their host institution from day one rather than waiting weeks for administrative processing.

The Coimbra Group, the League of European Research Universities (LERU), and other university networks have endorsed EUDI Wallet integration as a mechanism for implementing the long-sought goal of truly borderless academic resource access. Pilot programs at universities in the Netherlands, Germany, and Finland have demonstrated that digital credential verification reduces new student library registration from an average of 15 minutes to under 30 seconds.

Cross-Border Library Access and Reciprocal Agreements

One of the most transformative aspects of EUDI Wallet integration for libraries is the enabling of systematic cross-border access. Currently, reciprocal borrowing agreements between libraries in different countries are rare and administratively complex. The EUDI Wallet creates a standardized trust framework that makes cross-border library access practical for the first time at scale.

The European Bureau of Library, Information and Documentation Associations (EBLIDA) has been coordinating with national library associations to develop a common credential schema for library membership. This schema defines standardized attributes such as membership type, borrowing eligibility, access tier, and geographic scope. When a French national library cardholder visits a public library in Austria, the Austrian library's system can interpret the French credential according to the shared schema and apply appropriate access policies automatically.

Municipal library networks within countries are also benefiting from this standardization. In Germany, for example, library cards issued by one Stadtbibliothek are often not recognized by neighboring municipalities despite geographic proximity. The EUDI Wallet's standardized credential format enables smooth inter-municipal access, meaning a resident of one German city can borrow from libraries in surrounding towns without obtaining separate cards for each system. Similar consolidation is happening in the Netherlands, Scandinavia, and the Benelux countries.

Privacy, Security, and the Future of Library Services

Libraries have historically been strong defenders of patron privacy, resisting surveillance and protecting reading records from government overreach. The EUDI Wallet's selective disclosure capability aligns perfectly with this tradition. When a patron borrows a book, the library's system only verifies that the person has a valid membership credential with sufficient borrowing privileges. It does not need to access or store the patron's home address, date of birth, or government ID number. The wallet proves the claim ("this person is a registered library patron in good standing") without revealing the underlying identity data.

This represents a meaningful improvement over current practices where many libraries photograph or photocopy government-issued ID during registration and store this information in databases that may lack strong security protections. With EUDI Wallet integration, the library stores only the credential verification result and the issued library membership identifier, dramatically reducing the personal data footprint and associated GDPR compliance burden.

Looking ahead, EUDI-enabled library services will extend beyond traditional borrowing. Libraries are exploring credential-based access to maker spaces, community meeting rooms, 3D printing facilities, and co-working areas. Age-verified access to restricted collections (rare books, special archives, adult materials) can be handled through the wallet's age attestation feature without collecting full identity data. Event registration for author readings, workshops, and cultural programs can be streamlined through wallet-based booking systems that verify eligibility and manage capacity in real time.

The deployment timeline envisions initial rollouts in Nordic countries and the Netherlands during early 2027, followed by broader EU-wide adoption throughout the year. By 2028, the European Commission expects that a majority of public libraries serving populations above 50,000 will offer EUDI Wallet-based access as a standard option alongside traditional library cards.