Today we conclude the Open Culture Voices series, which over two years has showcased more than 65 open culture experts and practitioners from around the world. Over these two years we have had the privilege of engaging with remarkable individuals, each bringing their unique insights and stories to our community.

As we bid farewell to this enriching series, we want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to the interviewees who made this series possible. Your willingness to share your time, expertise, and experiences has left an indelible mark on our collective narrative. This journey has been more than a collection of interviews; it has been a tapestry of diverse stories that have inspired, educated, and connected us all. Your openness and authenticity have fostered a sense of community that goes beyond the digital realm: your perspectives are gathered in the CC report “What are the Barriers to Open Culture?” and several other resources which will continue to provide guidance and advice to the community.

Here are some of the experts’ insights:

“Standardized licenses support interoperability and compatibility with other collections. All of this means that users are able to find, access and use our content with fewer barriers and less friction, and this makes it easier for them to learn, share their learning, to create and innovate.” — Christy Henshaw

“When done right, the greatest advantage for open cultural heritage is digital equity. Removing paywalls means that more people can afford to access these materials. We live in a wildly inequitable world, and access to our culture should not contribute to this.” — Nicole Kang Ferraiolo

“Open culture is kind of a key building block for positive interaction and social inclusion” — Nkem Osigwue

“Weʼll often find that the benefits of being open with the collections outweigh the level of investment and cost, and the profit eventually made from generating income, selling, and controlling the use of collections.” — Dafydd Tudur

15, which ran from January 2022 to November 2023, the videos had more than 20,000 views on YouTube and more than 30,000 engagements here on the CC Blog. 

Thank you everyone who has watched and learned from these videos already. We hope they continue to be a valuable resource for the blossoming open culture community.

All episodes can be watched from the Creative Commons Blog. The videos are licensed CC BY 4.0 to be easily adapted, reused and shared across the web.

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