Talk: John Bracken: "How Civic Institutions Can Save Democracy (but first they must save themselves)"
August 2nd, 3:15pm-3:30pm
Decentralized Web Summit 2018
Front End Stage
Speakers: John Bracken, Digital Public Library of America, Executive Director
Today, as public confidence in institutions is diminishing, libraries are some of the most trusted civic institutions and are vital resources for the survival of democracy in the digital age. However, if libraries do not adapt their approaches and structures, they may not be able to save us.
John S. Bracken is the executive director of the Digital Public Library of America. He joined DPLA in December of 2017 after nearly two decades as a philanthropic investor in digital media, media policy and innovation. He most recently served as Vice President for Technology Innovation at the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, where he oversaw the Knight News Challenge, Knight’s Prototype Fund, and other efforts to improve the creation, curation, and accessibility of information. He previously ran and managed civic innovation programs at the MacArthur Foundation and the Ford Foundation. He has a master’s degree from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania and a BA from Pitzer College in Claremont, California. He serves on the board of the Illinois Humanities Council and resides in Chicago, Illinois.