LIBNOVA

LIBNOVA
Name	LIBNOVA
Type	Private
Industry	Cultural heritage technology
Founded	2001
Headquarters	Madrid, Spain
Key people	Juan Manuel Díaz (CEO)
Products	Collection management, digital preservation, cloud services, migration tools

LIBNOVA

Libnova is a private Spanish company specializing in digital preservation, collection management, and cloud-based services for cultural heritage institutions. Founded in Madrid in 2001, Libnova provides hardware and software platforms that support archives, libraries, museums, and research centers in long-term digital stewardship. Its client base spans national institutions, universities, and corporations across Europe, Latin America, and beyond, integrating standards-based solutions with commercial storage and virtualization technologies.

Overview

Libnova offers a suite of products aimed at digital asset lifecycle management for institutions such as Biblioteca Nacional de España, National Library of France, British Library, Smithsonian Institution, Library of Congress, and European Space Agency. The company positions itself within ecosystems that include Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, EMC Corporation, NetApp, and Dell Technologies to deliver hybrid cloud architectures. Its solutions are used alongside widely adopted open standards and initiatives such as OAIS (ISO 14721), PREMIS, Dublin Core, METS, and ISO 16363 compliance frameworks.

History

Libnova was founded in Madrid during the early 2000s technology expansion that included companies like Telefonica, Indra Sistemas, and Amadeus IT Group. Early projects involved partnerships with Spanish cultural institutions and collaborations with European Commission programmes similar to Europeana. Over the 2000s and 2010s Libnova adapted to shifts driven by initiatives from UNESCO, Council of Europe, and regional digitization projects in cooperation with entities like Fundación MAPFRE and BBVA Foundation. The company expanded its international footprint through tenders and collaborations with organizations such as UNISDR, World Bank, and university consortia including University of Oxford and Universidad Complutense de Madrid.

Products and Services

Libnova’s product portfolio includes digital preservation platforms, archival storage appliances, migration utilities, and managed services. Core offerings interoperate with software and systems from Archivematica, DSpace, Islandora, Omeka, and Fedora Commons. The company supplies turnkey solutions integrating storage arrays from HPE, Lenovo, and Seagate Technology as well as tape libraries like IBM TS3500 and Spectra Logic systems. Professional services cover consultancy, ingestion workflows, metadata mapping aligned to ISAD(G), provenance modeling with CIDOC CRM influences, and custom development for integrations with systems such as Koha and Aleph.

Technology and Architecture

Libnova implements architectures that combine object storage, replication, and disaster recovery, leveraging technologies from Ceph, OpenStack Swift, GlusterFS, and virtualization platforms like VMware ESXi and KVM. Their platforms incorporate checksum validation, fixity monitoring, and versioning compatible with BagIt packaging and checksum algorithms used by NIST and ISO. Features often include S3-compatible APIs enabling interoperability with applications designed for Amazon S3, and support for virtualization/container orchestration tools such as Docker and Kubernetes. For authentication and access control Libnova integrates with identity providers and protocols like LDAP, SAML, and OAuth 2.0 in enterprise deployments.

Market Presence and Customers

Libnova’s customers include national libraries, municipal archives, university repositories, broadcasting corporations, and private enterprises listed alongside organizations like RTVE, Telefónica, Universidad de Salamanca, and Museo Nacional del Prado. The company has responded to procurements from supranational bodies similar to European Commission projects and collaborates with commercial partners such as Atos and Accenture for large-scale deployments. Its market spans Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East where digital preservation requirements intersect with cultural policy frameworks championed by ICOM, ICA, and regional heritage agencies.

Corporate Structure and Management

Libnova operates as a privately held company with executive leadership experienced in IT, archival science, and enterprise storage. Senior management profiles often include backgrounds connected to institutions such as Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Centro Nacional de Supercomputación, and technology firms like Telefonica I+D. The company engages with standards bodies and professional associations including FADGI, DPC (Digital Preservation Coalition), and IETF working groups when relevant to interoperability and protocol adoption.

Awards and Recognition

Libnova has been recognized in procurement awards, innovation showcases, and sector conferences alongside peers such as Preservica and Ex Libris. It has presented work at conferences and gatherings including IIPC General Assembly, Digital Preservation 2019 Conference, DPLAfest, and regional events organized by SEAD, demonstrating interoperability and standards compliance. The company’s solutions have been cited in case studies produced by institutions similar to Biblioteca Nacional de España and international digitization initiatives promoted by Europeana Foundation.

Category:Information technology companies of Spain Category:Cultural heritage software