Thank You, Leiden—You Were Amazing!
On Tuesday, March 18, 2025, I had the privilege of speaking at Leiden University’s Telders Auditorium, located in the heart of Leiden, Netherlands. It was an inspiring afternoon filled with positive academic energy, thought-provoking discussions, and a shared passion for digital preservation of our collective memory. Many thanks to Jos Damen and Dirk Visser for co-hosting and organizing the afternoon.
Exploring the Future of Libraries and AI
This special event focused on the exciting possibilities at the intersection of libraries and artificial intelligence. My talk introduced the Internet Archive Europe’s efforts to leverage AI and other tools to enhance accessibility and relevance to vast cultural heritage collections of our partners.
Key Takeaways from the Talk
✅ Championing Cultural Diversity – How Public AI can reflect European values, support smaller languages, and ensure that no cultural narratives are lost.
✅ Empowering Accessibility – We explored how AI-driven assistive technologies can improve access to library resources for individuals with reading challenges.
✅ Revolutionizing Discovery – We discussed how machine learning can improve metadata, making digital collections easier to search and navigate, bringing them to life.
✅ Addressing Global Challenges – The potential of AI in tackling global issues such as climate change was also a key topic of discussion.
Presentation of Owl Award
On behalf of the Internet Archive, I was deeply honored to receive the ProjectUil (Project Owl) from Wikimedia Nederland. Ronald Velgersdijk the organizer of the Dutch Wiki Owls, presented me with the 2024 Project Owl. Vera de Kok, another Dutch Wikipedian, was on hand to document the whole event with photos and wrote up a wonderful summary of the presentation of the owl and the lecture. We appreciate all the time and effort all Wikipedia contributors put in to make the internet a place for knowledge.
Looking Ahead: Move Ahead, He Said
The atmosphere in the room was enthusiastic, perfectly captured by Dirk Visser, Professor of Intellectual Property Law at Leiden Law School, who passionately encouraged the audience with his call to action “To move ahead as quickly as possible!”, acknowledging that “there certainly will be legal issues, but [the archive community] should of course invoke Article 3 for all things that are not for profit”.
His words resonated deeply, reaffirming our collective commitment to both preserving knowledge and driving innovation forward.
I left Leiden feeling inspired by the engagement and thoughtful questions from the audience. This event reinforced the Internet Archive Europe’s mission—to build a global digital library that is accessible to all and to foster a community where digital collections truly come to life.
Thank you, Leiden, for an unforgettable experience! Your energy and enthusiasm remind me that when we combine passion with purpose, we can achieve extraordinary things. Let’s continue to push boundaries and shape the future of digital knowledge together!
— Brewster Kahle
🔗 Explore more about the Internet Archive Europe’s mission, in our “news about Internet Archive Europe“.
