Understand Your Users.
Grow Your Impact.

Library audience research trusted by 1,250+ libraries across Europe. Understand your users in depth and benchmark your results against peers. Supported by 7 universities.

Professional audience research, accessible to all libraries - free participation with optional upgrades.

Join Sentobib View membership plans
1,250+ Libraries
7 Universities
Measure Impact
Benchmarking
Personalised Survey
Multilingual

Academic partners

University of Antwerp
Université de Bordeaux
Universitat de València
Universität Hildesheim
University of Groningen
Ca' Foscari University of Venice
FH Kufstein Tirol

Join 1,250+ libraries using Europe's leading audience research.

Sentobib helps libraries understand members, visitors and non-visitors through a professional, easy-to-use research programme. In these challenging times, strong evidence about your audience and library impact matters more than ever.

Make informed decisions

Use visitor data to prioritise investments in programming, infrastructure, and communication.

Improve visitor experience

Identify what visitors value most and where there is room for improvement, with concrete suggestions.

Strengthen funding arguments

Demonstrate societal impact with credible, benchmarked data.

Reach new audiences

Understand why non-visitors don't come and former visitors stopped returning - and how to reach them.

What you get:

  • Visitor satisfaction & experience insights
  • Impact on wellbeing & NPS
  • Visitor profiles & motivations
  • Non-visitor research
  • Benchmarking with similar libraries nationally and internationally

Why Sentobib:

  • Scientifically grounded, yet practical
  • Multilingual surveys tailored to your library
  • Suitable for all library types and sizes
  • Strong data to support your funding and advocacy
  • Contribute to national and European sector insights
  • Fully confidential results
  • Free for all libraries, with optional upgrades

Join the Sentobib study and benchmark your results nationally and internationally.

Modern library with bright white shelves and stairs
Modern library interior with bright skylight
Colourful books stacked in a library
Modern public library with visitors
How libraries rate Sentobib
4.5/ 5overall
Quality of the questionnaire
4.6
Ease of use
4.5
Dashboard & insights
4.5
Support & guidance
4.4
Implementation effort
4.3
Value for investment
4.6
Based on 152 verified ratings from participating libraries

Membership plans

Research plans

Sentobib has a history of successful audience studies in over 1,250 libraries. To enable all libraries to participate, since 2026 the study has also been available for free. The free membership plan contains a full audience research study, without compromising on quality.

Choose a plan depending on the level of scale, reporting and support you need. Switching between plans during your study is possible at any time.

Tip: scroll horizontally to compare all plans →

FeatureMember
Free		Pro
Ambassador
Premium
Full personalised visitor survey✓✓✓
Live dynamic dashboard✓✓✓
Multilingual✓✓✓
Personalised communication materials✓✓✓
European benchmarking report + webinar✓✓✓
Survey respondentsUp to 100UnlimitedUnlimited
Survey availability6 months12 months12 months
Extra helpdesk support-✓✓
Trend measurement over time-✓✓
Group participation + group report-✓✓
Individual library research report--✓
Benchmarking with peer libraries--✓
Executive summary for board--✓
Raw visitor data access--✓
Short thematic surveys Coming in 2026-✓✓
Surveys for temporary activities or events Coming in 2026-✓✓
Dynamic audio interviews Coming in 2026-✓✓
Contact us

Participation fees

Inhabitants (× 1,000)Member FreePro Ambassador Premium
Less than 15Free€210€420
15 to 25Free€330€660
25 to 50Free€410€820
50 to 100Free€490€980
More than 100Free€550€1100

Prices based on the number of inhabitants of the city or municipality (× 1,000), exclusive VAT if applicable. Groups receive reduced fees.

Exchange rates are approximate and updated periodically.

Sentobib Member

Free participation with a complete library audience study

Timeline

  • Duration: 6 months
  • Can be renewed after 12 months

Survey

  • Access to the Sentobib platform
  • Full survey with all topics, personalisation and extra local questions
  • Personalised interactive dashboard
  • Up to 100 respondents
  • Clear manuals, roadmap and short videos
  • Multilingual questionnaire

Communication

  • Target groups: visitors and non-visitors
  • Personal survey link and QR code
  • Personalised communication materials
  • Incentives: 1 m² rainforest and prizes
  • Library logo added to the survey

Results

  • Live dashboard
  • Filters, flexible charts and crosstabs
  • Results confidential to the library

Reporting

  • European report
  • Webinar
Foundation plan. Pro and Ambassador add services on top.

Sentobib Pro

Everything in Member, plus:

Timeline

  • Duration: 12 months

Survey

  • Unlimited number of respondents
  • Extra support via helpdesk

Results

  • Trend measurement (comparison over time)

Group participation

  • Registration as a group
  • Group-level questions possible
  • Group report available
  • Group structure on the platform
  • Group communication

Coming in 2026

  • Short thematic surveys
  • Surveys for temporary activities or events
  • Dynamic audio interviews
Suitable for libraries that want to survey more visitors and for library networks.

Sentobib Ambassador

Everything in Member + Pro, plus:

Timeline

  • Duration: 12 months
  • Report delivered in June or December

Results

  • Raw data available
  • Additional modifications to the questionnaire

Reporting and benchmarking

  • Tap into a rich and growing benchmark database
  • Personalised research report
  • Benchmarking with peers, national and international results
  • Executive summary

Groups

  • Individual reports per location
  • Additional benchmark with group-wide results
  • Raw data available at group level
Full option for libraries that need an individual research report including benchmarking.

What libraries say about Sentobib

Viviane Dierickx, Bibliotheek Genk 🇧🇪

"Sentobib gives us concrete insight into how our visitors experience the library and what they take away from it. The benchmark with other libraries makes our own results much more meaningful."

Marc van de Plasse, ZB Bibliotheek van Zeeland 🇳🇱

"Thank you for the report - it contains a wealth of information that I'm eager to put to work within our organisation."

Kai Feichter, Stadtbibliothek Böblingen 🇩🇪

"The content convinced me - Stadtbibliothek Böblingen would gladly take part in the Sentobib study."

Irina Dorsch, Stadtbücherei Öhringen 🇩🇪

"Communication with Sentobib runs smoothly - it makes the work a pleasure. Chapeau!"

Philipp Breitenreicher, Stadtbibliothek Mannheim 🇩🇪

"Thank you for this wonderful, positive feedback and for adjusting a few points. We're very glad."

I. Thoermer, Bibliothek Görlitz 🇩🇪

"Everything is perfectly prepared from your side - thank you very much."

Sigrid Högemann, Stadtbibliothek Greven 🇩🇪

"My neighbour is a sociology professor and praised the well-constructed questionnaire. Thank you for your work."

Sarah Guechgache, Réseau des bibliothèques Toulonnaises 🇫🇷

"I wanted to thank you for the quality of your support and the consistently thoughtful answers to our many questions."

Maël Rannou, Bibliothèques de Caen la Mer 🇫🇷

"Thank you for your responsiveness - excellent news! Looking forward to the dates for the next wave."

Supported by leading European universities

Prof. Dr. Annick Schramme

Prof. Dr. Annick Schramme

Master in Cultural Management, University of Antwerp, Antwerp Management School

Prof. Dr. J.A.C. (Johan) Kolsteeg

Prof. Dr. J.A.C. (Johan) Kolsteeg

Art Sciences, Organisation and Communication in the Arts; Cultural Democracy, University of Groningen

Prof. Dr. Birgit Mandel

Prof. Dr. Birgit Mandel

Audience Development, Cultural Participation, Cultural PR and Marketing, University of Hildesheim

Dr. Raphaëlle Bats

Dr. Raphaëlle Bats

Curator, URFIST Bordeaux & STI Reference, University of Bordeaux

Prof. Dr. Juliette Passebois-Ducros

Prof. Dr. Juliette Passebois-Ducros

Head of Master's Programme in Marketing Strategy and Communication, University of Bordeaux

Prof. Dr. Manuel Cuadrado García

Prof. Dr. Manuel Cuadrado García

Associate Professor of Marketing and Market Research, University of Valencia

Prof. (FH) Dr. Verena Teissl

Prof. (FH) Dr. Verena Teissl

Cultural Management and Cultural Studies, FH Kufstein Tirol

Prof. Dr. Francesco Casarin

Prof. Dr. Francesco Casarin

Professor of Marketing Strategy, Ca' Foscari University of Venice

Giulia Cancellieri

Giulia Cancellieri

Researcher in Economics and Business Management, Ca' Foscari University of Venice

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Sentobib is a large-scale independent audience study designed specifically for libraries. It enables libraries of all sizes to collect in-depth, actionable insights about their visitors and non-visitors through dynamic, multilingual surveys. The study is backed by seven European universities and trusted by over 1,250 libraries across Europe.

Yes. Since 2026 the Sentobib Member plan is completely free, including a full personalised survey, live dashboard, multilingual questionnaire (up to 6 languages), communication materials, and up to 100 respondents. Libraries can optionally upgrade to Pro or Ambassador plans for additional features.

Over 1,250 libraries across Europe have successfully implemented the Sentobib study. These are libraries of all types and sizes, spread across Europe.

Sentobib is developed with the support of seven leading European universities: University of Antwerp, Université de Bordeaux, Universitat de València, Universität Hildesheim, University of Groningen, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, and FH Kufstein Tirol.

Sentobib provides insights into visitor satisfaction, impact on visitor well-being, visitor profiles, visit motivations, experience evaluation, Net Promoter Score (NPS), non-visitor research, benchmarking with comparable libraries, trend measurement over time, and board-ready data for evidence-based decision-making.

Each participating library can offer its Sentobib survey in up to 6 languages (English, French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Italian). The questionnaire is fully adapted to the local context and research needs of each library. New languages are added regularly. Do you miss a language for your library? Let us know via the contact form.

For every fully completed Sentobib survey, 1 m² of rainforest is preserved in partnership with World Land Trust. So far, over 85,000 m² of rainforest has been preserved. Sento is certified partner of World Land Trust.

Based on 152 verified ratings from participating libraries, Sentobib scores 4.5 out of 5 overall. The highest-rated aspects are quality of the questionnaire and value for investment (both 4.6/5), followed by ease of use and dashboard & insights (both 4.5/5).

Yes, you can start for free and upgrade to Pro or Ambassador at a later stage. Sentobib is flexible and adapts to your library's needs and timeline.

Incentives

World Land Trust partnership

World Land Trust logo

World Land Trust partnership

For every fully completed Sentobib survey, 1 m² of rainforest is preserved in partnership with World Land Trust.

In addition, respondents have a chance of winning attractive prizes, to encourage participation.

Sentobib selects winners automatically and anonymously at the end of each survey completion. There is no extra workload or investment for libraries.

Rainforest preserved
85,000m2
and counting
Certificates