On 15 January 2026, European Public Domain Day took place at the Royal Library of Belgium (KBR) in Brussels, bringing together librarians, archivists, researchers, policymakers, technologists, and advocates from across Europe. This year’s event was especially meaningful as it coincided with 25 years of Wikipedia, highlighting the continued importance of open knowledge and the public domain. Through panels, presentations, and workshops, participants explored how the public domain underpins creativity, research, education, and access to cultural heritage, reinforcing the need for active stewardship and cross-sector collaboration.

In January, ClimateGPT 3+ was launched at Goals House in Davos, bringing together open datasets to better understand cascading climate risks and support public interest climate intelligence. Shortly after its launch, it was nominated for and went on to win a Webby Award in the AI: Energy and Sustainability category, recognising its focus on transparent, auditable, and open approaches to climate AI.

In February, Internet Archive Europe joined the free and open source community at FOSDEM 2026 in Brussels, where our stand became a lively meeting point for conversations about archiving, open access, and the future of the digital commons. Over the weekend, we connected with long-time collaborators, volunteers, and first-time visitors, sharing ideas, learning how people use the Wayback Machine and Archive data, and enjoying the kind of spontaneous hallway conversations that make FOSDEM unique. We left inspired, grateful to the community, and with a clear takeaway for next year: bring more stickers.

Participants shared concrete examples of how the Wayback Machine supports work ranging from media analysis and journalism to creative reinterpretations of online materials. The discussions also pointed to a shared interest in strengthening collaboration between researchers, journalists, and artists, and in further developing tools and practices for working critically and creatively with web archives.

The first series of Humans of AI by information labs has concluded, bringing together voices from across Europe’s cultural heritage and public knowledge sectors to explore how AI is being used in practice in libraries, museums, archives, and digital platforms. A clear thread across the series is that AI is a tool shaped by governance, transparency, and human oversight, and its value depends on how it is applied in the public interest.

A second series is already in preparation, with more details to follow soon.

In March, Internet Archive Europe, together with Creative Commons and Open Nederland, co-hosted a gathering in Amsterdam on equitable access to digital heritage, bringing together practitioners, policymakers, and advocates from across the sector. The discussion highlighted the Netherlands’ leadership in opening cultural collections and wider European efforts to improve digital access to heritage, with a shared focus on institutional leadership, infrastructure, and public-interest commitments.

The ‘Our Future Memory‘ campaign continues to gather support from libraries, archives, and cultural institutions, including signatories such as the International Council on Archives (ICA). The statement remains open for new supporters, and we invite institutions working in the cultural heritage sector to join in affirming the four digital rights to collect, preserve, lend, and cooperate. 

This summer, DWeb Camp returns to Europe, bringing together technologists, artists, archivists, and policymakers to explore how we can build a more open, resilient, and trustworthy web. Through hands-on workshops, conversations, and collaborative experimentation, DWeb Camp offers a unique space to imagine and prototype public-interest digital infrastructure.

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