Beatrice Murch

Preserving Digital Sovereignty: Reflections on Brewster Kahle’s Intervention at the KB

/ / Digital Rights for Libraries, Events, Public AI

On 17 September, the KB – National Library of the Netherlands hosted an inspiring gathering on the theme of digital sovereignty and the future of web archiving, featuring Marleen Stikker (Waag Futurelab) and Brewster Kahle (Internet Archive / Internet Archive Europe). The event brought together colleagues from OCW, the Rijksmuseum, Europeana, UNESCO, Beeld & Geluid, the Hilversum Time Machine, and many others — a true community committed to safeguarding our shared digital heritage.

Setting the Stage: Why the Web Matters

The session began with Sophie Ham from the KB introducing the national web collection. As she noted, “Our life is on the internet and that is worth preserving.” She reminded the audience that the Dutch web, though relatively small, is of unique historical significance. The Netherlands was already present on the internet in 1985, and remarkably, the third and fourth websites ever created were hosted here.

Sophie emphasized how the Internet Archive has been an invaluable partner in capturing material from before 2007 (when the KB’s own archiving began), and continues to provide preservation capacity that Dutch institutions cannot yet fully pursue due to legal restrictions.

Marleen Stikker on the Digital City and Public AI

Marleen Stikker, in conversation with Martijn Kleppe, revisited De Digitale Stad — the pioneering 1990s digital community. As its former “mayor,” she recalled both the promise and the early challenges of online communication.

Her message was clear: if we want democratic and open digital infrastructures, we must invest in Public AI, built on European values, as articulated in Paul Keller’s recent white paper. Just as De Digitale Stad was once a civic experiment in digital space, today’s moment calls for a renewed commitment to public digital institutions.

Brewster Kahle: Putting Collective Memory at Our Fingertips

Closing the afternoon, Brewster Kahle of the Internet Archive Europe shared reflections on nearly three decades of global web preservation.

He began by warmly thanking XS4ALL and KPN for years of server support, and Beeld & Geluid for taking on this role moving forward. He noted that the Internet Archive is fast approaching the milestone of one trillion websites preserved. For Kahle, this work rests on a simple truth: “People are awesome. People want to share, and what they share is worth preserving.”

Kahle too called for Public AI, not dominated by corporate interests but rooted in European values and democratic accountability. He illustrated the potential of AI trained on public knowledge with the example of Leiden University dissertations — documents unlikely to be read by many humans, but which could fuel new discoveries when made accessible to machines.

Perhaps the most tangible expression of this vision was the unveiling of a new interactive machine installed at the KB. Visitors will be able to explore the Dutch web as preserved in the Internet Archive’s collections until 11 October, culminating in The Hague’s Museum Night. More than just a tool, this machine embodies the possibility of placing our collective memory directly at each individual’s fingertips. It demonstrates how digital preservation is not about storing data in the abstract, but about making the richness of the past immediately usable, searchable, and alive for today’s citizens.

This is what “bringing collections to life” truly means — connecting people with the traces of their own digital history and empowering them to use that knowledge to understand the present and imagine the future. And this is at the heart of Internet Archive Europe’s mission: to ensure that Europe’s digital memory is not only safeguarded, but also activated, accessible, and meaningful to all.

Looking Forward

The event at the KB was more than a discussion: it was a reminder that preserving the internet is not just a technical task, but a cultural, democratic, and civic responsibility. It highlighted the importance of collaboration — between libraries, archives, technologists, and policymakers — in ensuring that Europe’s digital memory remains accessible for future generations.

As Brewster Kahle put it, what people share online is worth keeping. And with initiatives like Internet Archive Europe, anchored in Amsterdam, we are taking meaningful steps to safeguard that shared heritage — and to build public digital infrastructures that can meet the challenges of the 21st century.

Preserving Digital Sovereignty: Marleen Stikker & Brewster Kahle at the KB

Photo credit: “Preserving Digital Sovereignty: Marleen Stikker & Brewster Kahle at the KB” by Sebastiaan ter Burg, CC BY 4.0

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Internet Archive Canada Signs the Four Digital Rights Statement

/ / Digital Rights for Libraries

The Our Future Memory movement to secure digital rights for memory institutions has taken another step forward. Internet Archive Canada has signed the Statement on the Four Digital Rights of Memory Institutions—and has gone further by ensuring the Statement is now available in French.

This translation opens the campaign to millions more people across Canada, Europe, Africa, and other Francophone regions, strengthening the inclusiveness of the global effort. Making the Statement accessible in different languages ensures that its principles resonate not just within professional circles but with communities everywhere that depend on libraries, archives, and cultural institutions.

Internet Archive Canada’s initiative builds on other international contributions. Thanks to the University Library “Svetozar Markovic” in Belgrade, a Serbian translation is also available, helping to spread the campaign across Central and Eastern Europe.

Together, these efforts highlight that the campaign is not only about four essential rights—

  1. Right to Collect
  2. Right to Preserve
  3. Right to Lend
  4. Right to Cooperate

—but also about making those rights understandable and actionable across languages and cultures.

Call for Volunteers Among our Signatories

The success of the campaign depends on broad participation. We are now looking for volunteers from our signatories to draft additional translations of the Statement. Each new version brings more people into the conversation, amplifying the call for legal frameworks that allow memory institutions to thrive in the digital age.

If you can help, please get in touch at campaigns@internetarchive.eu. By working together, we can ensure these rights are embraced worldwide—because preserving our future memory is a global task.

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Unlocking Europe’s Digital Bookshelves: The Fight for Our Right to eRead

/ / Digital Rights for Libraries

Libraries have always been society’s great equalisers—gateways to knowledge, culture, and opportunity, open to everyone. But as the world moves from print to pixels, the fundamental ability of libraries to own and lend books is under threat. This isn’t just an inconvenience; it’s a direct challenge to our collective right to access digital materials, the third core principle of the Our Future Memory campaign supported by Internet Archive Europe.

Two recent publications shed crucial light on this struggle, mapping out both the problem and the path forward for memory institutions across Europe.

From Ownership to Expensive, Temporary Access

The core of the problem is a seismic shift in how we access digital content. As a recent COMMUNIA policy paper highlights, publishers are increasingly moving away from selling digital materials and are instead offering restrictive licenses. For libraries, this means they can no longer simply buy a book and own it forever. Instead, they’re trapped in a cycle of temporary, rental-like agreements that give publishers unprecedented control.

The consequences are stark. Libraries face exorbitant prices, “take it or leave it” subscription bundles filled with titles they don’t need, and terms that can forbid preservation, accessibility services, or inter-library loans. In some cases, publishers can even refuse to license essential e-books altogether, effectively creating gaps on our shared digital shelves. This reliance on licensing, a comprehensive study on e-lending in Europe by Knowledge Rights 21 concludes, “undermines the societal role of libraries by limiting their operational capabilities” and compromises fundamental user rights like privacy.

A Path Forward: Secure Digital Lending and the Right to License

So, what’s the solution? The Knowledge Rights 21 study offers a powerful, legally grounded model: (independent) Secure Digital Lending ((i)SDL). 

This model is simple and fair: if a library legally owns a physical copy of a book, it should have the right to digitise it and lend out that single digital copy to one user at a time. This “one copy, one user” system mirrors traditional library lending and provides a vital backstop when publishers refuse to offer fair licensing terms. The study compellingly argues that this model is permissible under existing EU law, offering a clear path for libraries to reclaim their autonomy in the digital age.

The COMMUNIA policy paper builds on this by calling for broader legislative change. It argues that because access is a prerequisite for exercising rights like education and research, users need an enforceable “ancillary access right”. For libraries, this means an obligation on publishers to facilitate access through fair and reasonable licenses. Critically, any licensing terms that prevent a library from fulfilling its public mission—such as by charging unfair prices or restricting lawful uses—should be unenforceable.

Join the Conversation

To dive deeper into these critical issues, join the upcoming COMMUNIA Salon on “The Right to E-Lend.” This online event will be moderated by Peter Routhier from the Internet Archive and will feature experts discussing the challenges and solutions outlined in these essential reports. It’s a perfect opportunity to engage with the community and explore how we can collectively build a better digital future for our libraries.

Stand for Our Future Memory

Both of these reports arrive at the same conclusion: the current system is failing our libraries and, by extension, all of us. Securing the right to access, own, and lend digital materials is not a niche issue: it’s essential for ensuring that knowledge remains a public good, not a private, pay-per-view commodity.

This is precisely what the third right of the Our Future Memory campaign is all about. The ability of our memory institutions to build and preserve digital collections for future generations depends on our ability to act now.

The digital transformation of knowledge will continue regardless of whether memory institutions effectively advocate for their needs.

If your institution believes in a future where digital knowledge is owned, preserved, and accessible to all, it’s not too late to show your support. Join the growing list of signatories and stand with us.

Sign the statement at: www.ourfuturememory.org

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Preserving Digital Sovereignty: Marleen Stikker & Brewster Kahle at the KB in The Hague on 17 September

/ / Digital Rights for Libraries, Events

Exploring the Urgency of Web Archiving in the Netherlands

In an era where websites disappear and change at a rapid pace, safeguarding our digital cultural heritage has never been more urgent. On Wednesday 17 September, the KB – National Library of the Netherlands in The Hague will host a timely event featuring Marleen Stikker, internet pioneer and founder of Waag Futurelab, and Brewster Kahle, founder of the Internet Archive and Internet Archive Europe.

This gathering will focus on the need for robust web archiving in the Netherlands. Despite efforts by Dutch institutions like the KB, the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision, and the National Archives, legal restrictions severely limit the ability to comprehensively preserve Dutch websites. As a result, vast portions of the Dutch digital memory risk being lost.

A Conversation on Collective Memory and Democratic Infrastructure

The event will spotlight how digital preservation supports historical awareness, collective memory, and a functioning democracy. Marleen Stikker will address why digital sovereignty matters in today’s political and cultural landscape, while Brewster Kahle will showcase the Internet Archive’s efforts to preserve the web globally since 1996—including new ways to explore archived websites and bring collections to life.

Their insights will be particularly valuable for policymakers, cultural heritage professionals, and digital preservation advocates. The discussion will be held in English.

Event Details

Date: Wednesday 17 September 2025
Time: 15:30–17:00, followed by a reception
Location: KB | National Library of the Netherlands, Prins Willem-Alexanderhof 5, 2595 BE The Hague
Language: English
Audience: Heritage sector professionals and advocates, policymakers, and invited guests

👉 Register here to attend the event and more info here.
(Note: Limited capacity; early registration recommended)

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Brewster Kahle at the Royal Danish Library in Copenhagen on 4 September

/ / Digital Rights for Libraries, Events

Digital librarian and founder of the Internet Archive, Brewster Kahle, will deliver a public lecture introducing Internet Archive Europe in Copenhagen on Thursday, September 4, 2025, from 13:00 to 14:15 CET. The event will take place at the Royal Danish Library, Karen Blixens Plads 7, Grand Lobby, Copenhagen.

📢 Register here to attend the event.

Brewster Kahle and Universal Access to All Knowledge

Brewster Kahle has dedicated his career to creating a digital library accessible to all, preserving over 145+ petabytes of data—including books, web pages, music, television, and software. The Internet Archive collaborates with 1,200+ library and university partners worldwide to safeguard cultural heritage and enhance public access to knowledge.

Internet Archive Europe, a Dutch foundation established in 2004, expands this mission of Universal Access to All Knowledge through partnerships with European libraries, museums, and archives, working to safeguard digital heritage for the long term. 

Introducing Internet Archive Europe to Denmark

As Internet Archive Europe deepens its collaborations across the continent, this lecture brings its mission into focus for a Danish audience. Brewster will share how collaborations can build a shared infrastructure for digital preservation across borders.

Key discussion topics will include:

  • Building partnerships between Internet Archive Europe and mission-aligned European cultural and research organisations.
  • Exploring how AI can be used to “bring collections to life” for researchers, patrons, and the public.
  • Addressing the unique opportunities and challenges of digital libraries in the European context.
  • Enhancing the accessibility and visibility of cultural heritage collections through collaborative innovation.

A Public Dialogue on the Future of Digital Memory

Co-hosted by DALOSS and Royal Danish Library, this event invites academics, librarians, policymakers, and the public to reflect on the challenges and opportunities facing Europe’s digital future.

📅 Event Details:
 📍 Location: Royal Danish Library, Karen Blixens Plads 7, Grand Lobby, Copenhagen
🕓 Date & Time: Thursday, September 4, 2025 | 13:00 – 14:15 CET
🔗 Register here and check here for more information

 🗣️ Language: English 🇬🇧

This is a unique opportunity to engage in a forward-looking discussion on AI, open access, and cultural heritage with one of the leading voices in the field of digital preservation.

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Strength in Numbers: IFLA Joins Our Future Memory + Future Knowledge Podcast Episode

/ / Digital Rights for Libraries, Press

Building on the momentum of our Our Future Memory campaign, we’re thrilled to share two major developments:

🌍 IFLA Joins the Statement

This week, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) formally endorsed the Four Rights for Memory Institutions statement, further uniting libraries, archives, and museums worldwide behind the call to:

  • Collect digital materials
  • Preserve digital collections
  • Provide controlled digital access
  • Cooperate across institutions

With IFLA’s global reach—representing over 1.5 million library professionals across more than 150 countries—this endorsement underscores the universal urgency of protecting cultural heritage in the digital age.

🎙️ “Future Knowledge” Podcast Episode

To dive deeper into what this global alignment means in practice, Internet Archive has released a special episode of the Future Knowledge podcast featuring voices from across our movement:

Together, they reflect on the rapid growth of our campaign—from its launch in Aruba through widespread European and global sign-ons—and explore concrete next steps for policymakers, memory institutions, and library advocates worldwide.

💬 Voices from the Movement

📚 Libraries in the Digital Age: Keep the Rights, Evolve the Tools

Brewster Kahle issued a powerful reminder that the mission of libraries doesn’t change just because the medium does:

“We should not lose rights that we had in the physical world as we move digital. It should be a better future.”

“What libraries have always done—preserve, lend, interoperate—is now being challenged.”

He emphasized that in the face of licensing restrictions and eroding control, the very identity of libraries is at stake.

🧰 Let Libraries Be Libraries

Lila Bailey recounted the genesis of the four digital rights and how librarians globally came together in a moment of existential reflection:

“Everybody deserves access to high quality information that libraries and other memory institutions have been collecting for generations.”

She reminded listeners why the call to action is urgent:

“Winter is coming…Winter’s kind of here when we’re thinking about access to information.”

🇷🇸 From Belgrade to the World: A Simple Document, a Global Movement

Adam Sofronijević shared the emotional core of the campaign:

“Let this world not be our doom, but our hope. By preserving our rights… we will be able to expand all those beautiful things that digital tools are promising us.”

“When winter comes, the temperature falls down. What we can do is huddle together to give us more warmth.”

His message: the power of unity and simplicity in a world bracing for digital disruption.

🇪🇺 Digital Fairness for Libraries: A European Call to Action

Caroline De Cock called out the quiet crisis in how memory institutions are being hollowed out by licensing regimes:

“We are shifting to a model where [libraries] are basically seeing their collections disappear. Like Snapchat stories.”

At the LIBER Conference, she found a community ready to act:

“Memory institutions are facing a situation that has never been more critical in terms of being able to fulfill their mission in the future.”

And she pointed to Europe’s unique role in protecting digital rights:

“Europe has a tradition of trying to protect the little guy. We are into that—that’s our thing.”

📖 The Global Voice of Libraries

Stephen Wyber spoke to the power of collective voice and institutional alignment in the face of digital challenges and the nearly hundred year of IFLA advocacy on these matters:

“What we’ve really seen is a deregulation by stealth: quietly, little bit by bit, all of the protections, all of the balancing factors that were in place have been undermined.”

“The importance of talking about rights: (…) things that are as important as the preservation of our history, access to information for accountability for reproducibility, when we’re talking about access for research, for education, it’s crazy that we should call these exceptions. These should be the rule!”.

🌴 Preserving a Nation’s Memory—Digitally

Peter Scholing reflected on the foundational partnership that launched the campaign and why small nations play a big role in preserving digital heritage:

“There’s a shared purpose in getting the information you want to share out there, and there’s a lot of barriers to information (…) So it’s just our way of contributing to that conversation and sharing with worlds that we’re about sharing the information.”

Raymond Hernandez added:

“By putting this together in the collection, we can make it possible not only for us Arubians to get this information but also for all our diaspora living around the world. (…) the signing was a kind of expression that it is not only about cultural equity but also about making sure our communities are not left out of the digital future.”

🌍 What’s Next: From Signing to Sustaining a Movement

Closing thoughts from Adam and Caroline made it clear: this isn’t just a petition. It’s a catalyst.

“This campaign is a merger of the best America and Europe can provide to each other.”

– Adam Sofronijević

“This is not just signing a statement. I’m hoping this is kick-starting a movement.”

– Caroline De Cock

📢 Join the Movement

▶️ Listen now on your favorite podcast platform to hear firsthand how these leaders plan to translate collective commitment into legal protections and community action.

Stay tuned for more updates—and if your institution hasn’t signed yet, visit ourfuturememory.org to add your voice.

We’re stronger together, and the future of our shared memory depends on it.

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