As our lives become increasingly enmeshed with Artificial Intelligence, 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, as they explore how our profession can navigate the Great Wave of AI.
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📍Venue: Online (Zoom)
🗓️ Date: Friday, 3 Oct 2025
🕛 Time: 8.00 pm - 9.00 pm
🎟️ Admission: Free with registration
Register here on FormSG.
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About the Speakers
Josée Kirps has been Director of the National Archives of Luxembourg since October 2003. With a degree in history and modern literature from the University of Montpellier, Kirps has spent her entire career in the service of Luxembourg's heritage.
Since 2022, Josée Kirps has been President of the International Council on Archives (ICA). 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 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.
As University Librarian at the University of Ottawa, Leslie played important roles in many transformative moments at the Canadian Research Knowledge Network and in research libraries and archives in Canada. Leslie served as President of Canadiana.org, the Canadian Association of Research Libraries and the Ontario Library Association. 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-Elect of IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations), taking on the role of IFLA President in August 2025.