All 2013 projects | Key theme 3: Establishing free knowledge in society – Goal 4: Cooperations – Change 4.4: Continuing cooperations and identifying new projects

Project description: GLAM on tour

Excursions for Wikipedians and other interested members of the public to cultural institutions (GLAMs – an acronym for galleries, libraries, archives and museums) will encourage local Wikipedia groups in German-speaking countries to enter into partnerships with local GLAMs. (P19)

Contact / Project Manager: Barbara Fischer (Politics & Society)
Total budget: €35,000
Implementation period: December 1, 2012 – June 30, 2013 (If successful, the project will be continued in the third quarter.)

What is the project about?

We will organize get-togethers in cultural institutions for contributors to Wikipedia and other interested members of the public in order to foster links between volunteers in these institutions and active Wikipedia volunteers.

The idea is that local Wikipedia groups will meet volunteers at nearby GLAMs – such as people who help to raise funding or to promote the GLAM – during cultural excursions to these institutions. The aim is to create sustainable networks on the local level. GLAM volunteers may be well-positioned to apply their knowledge on specific cultural matters to the production of high-quality Wikipedia contents, but we have not focused enough on this potential so far.

These volunteers are also the most important advocates of Wikimedia Deutschland’s communications work in cultural institutions. Direct collaboration with local Wikipedians will enable them to communicate Wikimedia messages.

How will this project help us meet our annual goals?

Local collaboration between cultural institutions and Wikipedia volunteers can play a crucial role in achieving the aim of establishing and maintaining long-term cooperation with the cultural sector. We will organize get-togethers between these people in order to encourage collaboration between active GLAM Wikipedians and cultural institutions and to attract new people to this field.

The excursions will appeal to both target groups and strengthen their work and collaboration. By establishing links between Wikipedia authors and cultural institutions, we will find new fields in which we can effectively demonstrate the benefits of free knowledge. In addition, the number of actors will increase.

What are the key milestones along the way and by when should we reach them?

No.	When	What
1.	February/March, 2013	We will present and prepare the project at a kick-off meeting for active GLAM volunteers. This meeting will give us a chance to gather useful tips on how to organize the project.
2.	April – June, 2013	We will hold a maximum of six GLAM get-togethers with cultural institutions. These sessions will include a meeting between members of the Wikipedia communities, staff from cultural institutions, and other interested parties. The get-togethers will create networks which will organize local collaborative GLAM projects.
3.	Ongoing	We will document the cultural excursions by uploading blog articles and photos to Wikimedia Commons. We will evaluate the impact of the contacts that result from these get-togethers in order to check if we can use them to support local projects.