From 20 to 27 April 2027, the research retreat titled “Enabling Knowledge – New Directions for Copyright and Library Law in Sri Lanka” takes place. The event is part of the research project “Digital Access to Library Content – Legal Frameworks in Germany and Sri Lanka”, undertaken by the Centre for Advanced Study.

The workshop addresses how legal frameworks can be designed to sustainably secure access to knowledge and cultural heritage in the digital age. At its core is the development of a model draft for a library law in Sri Lanka, drawing on international experience – particularly from Germany – while taking into account the country’s specific legal and societal conditions. At the same time, Sri Lankan copyright law will be examined: With regard to supporting research and education, where is there room for improvement? And how do current regulations affect the work of libraries and other cultural memory institutions? These questions will be discussed in light of developments in European and German copyright law over the past fifteen years and complemented by specifically Sri Lankan perspectives on an appropriate legal framework for digital access. The workshop aims to produce well-founded discussion papers to support both academic exchange and future policy debates in Sri Lanka. In addition to a model library law, proposals for a more access-friendly reform of copyright law will be developed.

Participants include legal scholars as well as experts in political science and library and information science from Sri Lanka and Germany, complemented by philosophical perspectives on the normative and ethical dimensions of access in the digital era.