Serageldin is hosting the Fourth Annual Wikimania Conference at the BA, which is held this year under the theme Change the Shape of Wisdom. At the inauguration of the conference, Serageldin addressed the participants with an inspiring presentation entitled New Paradigms for New Tomorrows. Referring to the credo of the Library of Alexandria, “All information, to all people, at all times”, he stated that it was particularly apposite for the Wikimania Conference to be held at the BA, as they both shared the same principle. He lauded the mission of Wikimania and its role in providing free access to knowledge, as well as allowing participation and collaboration by all . Just as freedom of expression is a fundamental part of human rights, Serageldin maintained, freedom of access to what has been expressed is equally important, it is the other said of the coin. He added that while copyrights and the price of the printed book can put knowledge out of reach, the new technology can provide a free flow of information to all.
The Wikimania conference is the official conference of Wikimedia''s free knowledge projects, which include Wikipedia, the largest free knowledge encyclopedia. Presentations and discussions at this year's conference will address topics related to public collaboration, open source initiatives, free knowledge, wiki technology and open education.
Click here to view a webcast of the opening session of the Wikimania conference.