On 9 February, Internet Archive Europe is delighted to host the launch of Public Data Cultures, a new book by researcher, writer, and long-time Internet Archive collaborator Jonathan W. Y. Gray. The event will take place at Internet Archive Europe, Oudeschans 16, Amsterdam, and will bring together researchers, practitioners, and friends of the Archive for an evening of conversation and celebration.
About the book
Public Data Cultures explores how public data is not merely a technical or administrative resource, but a deeply cultural one. The book nurtures critical and creative engagements with public data, examining how data is made public, interpreted, contested, reused, and imagined across different contexts. It invites readers to look beyond dashboards and datasets to consider the social practices, infrastructures, and power relations that shape public data in everyday life.
A long-standing connection with the Internet Archive
This launch is particularly meaningful given Jonathan’s long history with the Internet Archive. A long-time friend of the Archive, Jonathan has visited the San Francisco headquarters many times over the years and collaborated closely on public knowledge projects.
Earlier in his career, Jonathan co-founded The Public Domain Review, a publication that regularly features works drawn from the Internet Archive’s collections and celebrates the richness of the cultural commons. He also worked alongside Aaron Swartz, the Open Library team, and many others on initiatives such as public domain calculators, contributing to efforts to clarify and expand access to cultural heritage.
More recently, Jonathan has been involved in research using the Wayback Machine to study the histories of digital media, open data, and so-called “fake news,” demonstrating how web archives can support engaged scholarship and digital investigations.
A personal and transatlantic story
The connection goes beyond professional collaboration. Coincidentally, Jonathan’s family has lived on Clement Street in San Francisco—just down the road from the headquarters of Internet Archive US—since the 1950s, underscoring a personal, intergenerational link to the neighbourhood and the Archive’s home.
Join us in Amsterdam
The book launch at Internet Archive Europe offers a chance to hear directly from the author, engage in discussion, and explore opportunities for future collaboration around critical and creative engagements with data, archives, and digital culture.
📅 Date-Time: 9 February – 19:00 – 20:30 CET
📍 Location: Internet Archive Europe, Oudeschans 16, Amsterdam
🔗 Event details & registration: https://luma.com/5au5lku7
We look forward to welcoming Jonathan W. Y. Gray and to spending time together in Amsterdam as we continue to build and grow collaborations around public knowledge, archives, and data as culture.
