Archives and other memory institutions are under growing pressure. They are increasingly required to explain—and even defend—their roles and significance in pluralistic democracies. Institutional and independent archives as well as academic and specialized digital collections are affected in different ways. Yet together, they constitute central infrastructures for cultural heritage, open science and democratically resilient societies.

The participatory forum ARCHIVES UNDER PRESSURE at the Bodo Uhse Library in Berlin-Lichtenberg invites to a practice-oriented exchange on these questions on May 18, 2026, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. The event will be in German. It is co-organized by AG Demokratie of AK Offene Archive, Bodo-Uhse-Bibliothek, BUA, DDF and TIB Hannover. Please register via the event website: https://www.digitales-deutsches-frauenarchiv.de/blog/archive-unter-druck-einladung-zum-gemeinsamen-forum#no-back