Technology, Innovation Law, and Ethics (TILE) Institute's 2025 Symposium

Why Libraries Matter Now More than Ever to Democracy: Legal Issues Affecting the Future of Public Knowledge

It is often observed that we live in a “knowledge economy,” in which knowledge has value and access to knowledge is essential to political and social inclusion. Yet recent attacks, such as draconian funding and personnel cuts to important cultural institutions like museums and libraries, bring into question the fundamental but often under-appreciated roles these institutions play in advancing, maintaining, and preserving the public’s access to and trust in reliable knowledge that powerfully undergirds robust democracies and societies.

The TILE Institute’s 2025 Symposium is on the theme of “Why Libraries Matter Now More than Ever to Democracy: Legal Issues Affecting the Future of Public Knowledge.” This timely symposium brings together experts in copyright law, technology, and libraries to discuss key legal issues and propose sustainable future directions to steward public knowledge that is one of the foundations of a functioning democracy.

Co-sponsored by the Seattle University Law Review and the Seattle Journal of Technology, Environmental & Innovation Law.

September 30, 2025
12 - 3:30 p.m.

Room C6, Sullivan Hall
Seattle University School of Law

*IN-PERSON REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT HAS CLOSED.  VIRTUAL REGISTRATION IS STILL PERMITTED*.

Late Registrants, please reach out to Karsten Kohout: kohoutk@seattleu.edu, for instructions on participating virtually.

Featured Topics & Speakers

“Why the Library of Congress Matters”

Hope O’Keeffe
Senior Associate General Counsel, Library of Congress (Ret.)

Nancy Weiss
Principal, CultureSQ Capitol Strategies and Senior Policy Fellow, American University Washington College of Law

“AI Politics and the Future of the U.S. Copyright Office”

Blake E. Reid
Associate Professor of Law, University of Colorado Law School
Faculty Director, Telecom and Platforms Initiative at the Silicon Flatirons Center

“The Library of Congress Under Fire: Can Congress Create a New Legal Framework to Protect its Mission?”

Amanda Runyon
Associate Dean and Director, Biddle Law Library, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School

Leslie Street
Director, Wolf Law Library
Clinical Professor of Legal Research, William & Mary Law School

“The Licensed Library”

Aaron Perzanowski
Thomas W. Lacchia Professor of Law, University of Michigan Law School

“Leveraging Technology and Copyright to Revolutionize Libraries in the Service of the Public Interest”

Michelle M. Wu
Associate Dean of Library Services, Director of Law Library, and Professor of Law, Georgetown University Law Center (Ret.)

“Keeper of the Commons: The Library of Congress and Its Unique Copyright Role”

David Hansen
Executive Director, Authors Alliance