The Europe Challenge

Libraries play a key role in our contemporary digital and social infrastructure. With 65,000 public libraries across Europe, imagine a continent run by librarians: equitable, green, collaborative, and rooted in access to knowledge for all. This vision was explored during If Librarians Ran Europe – The Amsterdam Summit of The Europe Challenge, organised in September 2024.

Click here to watch all three inspiring panel discussions bringing together library workers, artists, library architects, and climate justice activists, now available on the YouTube channel of the European Cultural Foundation:

1. Libraries as Democratic Spaces for All, featuring the speakers: 

• Fedele Canosa (he/him), Architect at Mecanoo; 
• Khalid Albaih (he/him), Political activist and civil rights activist; 
• Sara Bindeballe (she/her), Library worker at Aarhus Main Library.

1. Libraries as Champions of Environ(Mental) Wellbeing, featuring:

• Mikaela Loach (she/her), Climate justice activist and author;
• Dina Ntziora (she/her), Cultural engagement consultant;
• Vickie Varley (she/her), Senior development officer at Oldham Heritage, Libraries, and Arts

1. Libraries in Europe — Surviving or Thriving?, featuring:

• Luke Burton (he/him), Director of Libraries at Arts Council England;
• Catarina Vaz Pinto (she/her), independent consultant for arts and culture;
• Klaas Gommers (he/him), chair of the Open Method of Coordination (OMC) group on public libraries.

Hosted by Lwando Xaso (she/her), Founder of Including Society, and Dylan Ahern (he/him), Founder of De Kiesmannen.