Discover How Libraries and Archives Can Ride the Great Wave of AI at the NLB30 Keynotes

The National Library Board, Singapore (NLB) celebrates its thirtieth anniversary as a statutory board this year. As part of its celebrations, we are organising Open Book: The NLB30 Keynotes, a series of moderated conversations that bring together thought leaders from diverse fields to explore the future of reading and learning and envision how libraries and archives can transform into spaces of discovery. NLB is excited to announce that we have gathered two heavyweights from the worlds of libraries and archives – Josée Kirps and Leslie Weir – for an exciting and timely conversation on the promise and pitfalls of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) for knowledge institutions.

Programme Banner of “Libraries, Archives and the Great Wave of AI”
Programme Banner of “Libraries, Archives and the Great Wave of AI”

As our lives become increasingly enmeshed with AI, so too are libraries and archives poised for a dramatic transformation. While AI unlocks unprecedented possibilities, it also raises important questions about intellectual property and environmental impact—challenges that knowledge institutions must address. Join Leslie Weir and Josée Kirps, Presidents of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and the International Council on Archives (ICA) respectively, to explore how we can navigate the Great Wave of AI.

Josée Kirps has served as Director of the National Archives of Luxembourg since October 2003 and has been President of the ICA since 2022. Regarding her priorities in her position as ICA-President, Kirps is particularly interested in current changes and challenges in digitisation, records management, and the archival profession in general, in order to create an open, innovative and environmentally friendly approach within the organisation. Her ambition is to assert and enhance archival expertise, strengthen the dynamics of the archival community in a spirit of dialogue, weave and consolidate links with external players, 21st century knowledge societies and international organisations based on solid and effective communication.

Leslie Weir is the Librarian and Archivist of Canada, leading Library and Archives Canada (LAC) since August 2019. Leslie is overseeing LAC’s work on Reconciliation with First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation and the implementation of Vision 2030 with a focus on transformation of service and IT infrastructure, as LAC looks forward to the upcoming move of its public services into Ādisōke in 2026, in partnership with the Ottawa Public Library, all in support of achieving LAC’s mandate with a focus on people and access. She is currently a member of the FAN (Forum of National Archivists) Steering Committee, Vice-Chair of CDNL (Conference of Directors of National Libraries) and President of IFLA, having started her mandate in August 2025.

This session will be moderated by Julia Chee. As the Director and Chief Archivist of the National Archives of Singapore (NAS), Julia oversees the collections, services, and key archival functions of NAS, including acquisition, preservation, and access. A trained archivist with a Master’s in Records and Archives Management from the University of London, she has held leadership roles across NAS and the National Library, Singapore, spanning oral history, records management, legal deposit, reference services, and public engagement.

This Zoom webinar takes place on 3 October 2025, 8pm – 9pm (Singapore Standard Time, UTC+8). This session is free and open to the public, and we encourage you to share this registration link with your networks of libraries, archives, and friends who may be interested. We hope to see you there!

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Contributed by Alex Foo (Manager, Partnership Division) and Jennifer Ho (Librarian, Central Library), National Library Board, Singapore.