From 15-17 June 2025, the directors of national libraries from across Europe convened in Edinburgh for the 39th Annual General Meeting of the Conference of European National Librarians (CENL), kindly hosted by the National Library of Scotland, which is celebrating its 100th birthday this year.

The meeting focused on AI. Our topic “Artificial Intelligence meets Cultural Heritage – the Transformative Power of AI for and through National Libraries,” provoked rich discussions—ranging from ethics and innovation to discovery and cooperative infrastructures and services. In her keynote speech, ‘Upholding Library Values in a Tech Industry World’, Professor Melissa Terras, MBE, FREng, provided European library directors with some food for thought. So did the second keynote, which was called “AI in the National Library: Thinking Fast and Slow’ by Paul Gooding. The presentation ‘Burning the Books, Then and Now: From Clay Tablets to the World of AI’ by Richard Ovenden, OBE, MA, FRSA, FSA, FRHistS, FRS, also aroused great interest.
The keynotes as well as thought-provoking sessions with colleagues from across Europe, made one thing clear: national libraries are not only keeping pace with AI—they are also helping to shape its cultural impact.

With impressive venues such as Edinburgh Castle, the National Library of Scotland and the Edinburgh Futures Institute, not to mention a vibrant cultural programme, the AGM provided plenty of opportunities to reconnect, reflect on and reimagine our shared future. A warm thank you to our host, Amina Shah FRSE FRSA and her wonderful team. And Happy anniversary to the National Library of Scotland and best wishes for the next 100 years!

CENL members and the staff of their libraries can access the contributions via the Members’ Area of the website: https://www.cenl.org/agm/15-17-june-2025-edinburgh-scotland/. We also plan to publish the contributions in a single volume later this year.

Our attention now turns to the 2026 AGM, which will be hosted by the National Library of Luxembourg from 14 to 16 June 2026. And we look forward to continuing our work as a strong, connected network of European national libraries.