Our Vision
At the Worldwide Library, we envision a planet where ancestral knowledge, ecological restoration, and digital inclusion converge to shape a conscious and regenerative future. Our goal is to help restore nature while honoring the profound wisdom of ancient cultures, particularly that which has been passed down through the generations by elders across bioregions.
“When an elder dies, a library burns.”
— African Proverb
We are part of a growing movement to prevent that loss.
Our Mission: The Worldwide Library is a decentralized, multilingual knowledge network devoted to preserving and amplifying the living heritage of indigenous peoples, traditional ecological knowledge, and cultural memory systems. Through initiatives like the Mayan Library, Ancestrix, and other regional and global projects, we strive to keep endangered wisdom alive, evolving, and accessible.
Who We Are: We are librarians, elders, archivists, coders, artists, linguists, and visionaries working across time zones and traditions. What unites us is the conviction that cultural survival and planetary healing are deeply interconnected.
“We are the ancestors of the future. What we do now will be remembered.”
— Autur Osler, Indigenous Knowledge Keeper (as cited in Shiva, 2005)
What We Do
- Digital Archives: We document and preserve oral histories, ancestral rituals, endangered languages, and ecological practices through open-access digital platforms like the Mayan Library.
- Ancestral Mapping: With tools like Ancestrix, we support individuals and communities in recovering their lineages and spiritual geography.
- Global Collaborations: We work with grassroots collectives, academic institutions, and traditional authorities to exchange tools, methods, and models.
- Ecological Regeneration: Our work is guided by the principle of ecological reciprocity—aligning cultural restoration with the regeneration of forests, rivers, soils, and sacred sites.
Our Commitments
- Biocultural Regeneration: We aim to help restore at least 50% of degraded ecosystems, in harmony with cultural renewal (Wilson, 2016).
- Linguistic and Cultural Justice: We advocate for the transmission of oral traditions and native languages across generations.
- Free and Inclusive Access: Our platforms are multilingual, open-source, and community-managed.
- Ethical Memory Curation: Every piece of knowledge shared with us is treated with care, consent, and cultural sovereignty.
Our Impact
- Developed multilingual, bioregionally grounded knowledge bases.
- Initiated Ancestrix to help communities reconstruct genealogies and personal narratives.
- Digitized hundreds of oral histories and ceremonial practices from the Mayan region.
- Designed cultural protocols to honor intellectual and spiritual property rights of elders.
“We must listen to the land and to those who have lived in sacred relationship with it for millennia.”
— Robin Wall Kimmerer (2013)
Join the Effort
Whether you are an elder, a youth, a translator, a programmer, or someone with ancestral stories to share, there is a place for you in the Worldwide Library. This is a living archive—contribute your voice, your memory, your language.
Core Values
- Remembrance – Honoring the past to navigate the future.
- Interconnection – Building bridges between cultures, generations, and disciplines.
- Decentralization – Ensuring open, peer-managed knowledge systems.
- Cultural Sovereignty – Respecting the custodians of traditional knowledge.
- Ecological Integrity – Aligning memory preservation with ecosystem healing.
References
(APA Style)
- Kimmerer, R. W. (2013). Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants. Milkweed Editions.
- Shiva, V. (2005). Earth Democracy: Justice, Sustainability, and Peace. South End Press.
- Wilson, E. O. (2016). Half-Earth: Our Planet’s Fight for Life. Liveright.
- Posey, D. A. (1999). Cultural and Spiritual Values of Biodiversity. UNEP/Intermediate Technology Publications.
- World Digital Library. (n.d.). Preserving Cultural Heritage through Digitization. Library of Congress. Retrieved from https://www.loc.gov