Open and Engaged 2025

Who Owns Our Knowledge? Exploring ownership, access, and stewardship of cultural heritage in the new era.

The British Library is delighted to host its annual Open and Engaged Conference online, over three non-consecutive afternoons: Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, in the week of 20 October, as part of the International Open Access Week.

This year’s Open and Engaged Conference aligns with the Open Access Week 2025 theme, “Who Owns Our Knowledge?”, by exploring the power, ethics, and responsibility embedded in how cultural heritage is created, shared, and preserved.

Through keynotes, panels, presentations and lightning talks, the programme addresses questions of ownership and stewardship in the areas of practice-research, cultural heritage data, open infrastructure, and emerging technologies. By bringing together GLAM professionals, librarians, curators, technologists, and community partners, the conference invites participants to reimagine ownership as a shared, equitable, and inclusive endeavour.

The conference will take place online over three non-consecutive afternoons: Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, in the week of 20 October, scheduled in the UK time zone (BST/UTC+1).

Programme Overview

Note that the programme will be updated as we finalise the details throughout the next weeks. Please visit the dedicated page for the details of daily programme. Registration is required separately for each day.

Day 1 – Monday 20 October (register)

13:30- 13:45 Welcome remarks 13:45- 15:00 Session on Ownership and Access in Cultural Heritage 15:00- 15:00 Break 15:30- 16:25 Keynote 16:30- Closing remarks

Day 2 – Wednesday 22 October (register)

13:30- 13:45 Welcome remarks 13:45- 14:45 Lightning talks: Sharing responsibly while navigating risks, ethics, and community needs 14:45- 15:15 Break 15:15- 16:25 Session on Technology, Power, and Equitable Design 16:30- Closing remarks

Day 3 - Thursday 23 October (register)

13:30- 13:45 Welcome remarks 13:45- 15:00 Session on Access to GLAM Research: Repository Showcases 15:00- 15:30 Break 15:30- 16:25 Closing Keynote 16:30- Closing remarks

Registration

Open and Engaged 2025 Conference is free to attend, but registration is required for each day. Please make sure to register separately for each day using the links provided above (also listed below). Once you register, you will receive a confirmation email with the event link for the day you selected.

Contact us

The hashtag for the event is #OpenEngaged on social media platform of your choice. If you have any questions, please contact us at openaccess[at]bl.uk.

NextDay 1💫 Monday, 20 October

Last updated 8 days ago