A pandemic baby of the Wikiverse has come to stay. For Wikimedia Deutschland in Germany and Wikimedia Österreich in Austria, the video conferences of the GLAM Digital event series have gone from being an emergency solution to a permanent additional service. The idea is simple: virtual specialist lectures by selected cultural and memory institutions (GLAMs) on various topics, followed by direct exchanges between our Wikipedia communities and the institution.
On the occasion of the 100th guest lecturer, it’s time to take stock. The 100 speakers came from 64 institutions. We have welcomed 1022 participants to the 41 events held to date. The participating institutions ranged from large institutions such as the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna or the Museum Barberini in Potsdam to discoveries such as the Archive of German Women’s Movements or the Wurzerhof Farm Museum in East Tyrol. Museum associations and national UNESCO commissions were also among the guests.
The range of content was broad: from sharpening the art-historical view of individual exhibits to understanding socio-political contexts in the history of minorities. As we all know, sharing knowledge is not a one-way street. The institutions also gained new insights into free knowledge and the Wikimedia projects during the discussions. With GLAM Digital, we can provide old and new strategic partners with an attractive additional offer that gives them low-threshold direct contact with our communities in Austria and Germany.
How it all began
During the first major Covid lockdowns in February and March 2021, Wikimedia Österreich and Wikimedia Deutschland began holding the first GLAM video conferences of this kind, initially side by side. These were intended as a temporary solution and as a makeshift translation of existing GLAM event formats into the virtual space. An unexpected added value soon became apparent.
In Wikimedia Österreich’s general community survey in 2021, respondents were asked what kind of virtual Wikimedia events they would be interested in attending. Guest lectures by cultural organizations were at the top of the answers. In the direct feedback from participants on Wikipedia, we read things like: “Thank you very much for the great, entertaining tour and the patience with our questions” and “I’d be very grateful for a continuation of the event series and I’m already looking forward to it.” Wikimedia Deutschland and Wikimedia Österreich then combined their activities and developed a concept for GLAM Digital as a joint ongoing series of events.
What happens next
We’re again planning ten virtual events for next year. The two-hour video conferences will take place on Monday evenings as usual. All interested Wikipedia editors are invited to take part in the meetings; our code of conduct for video conferences applies. Registration takes place on the Wikipedia page for the individual event. You can also add your name to the invitation list for GLAM events and will then receive a notification of upcoming events on your user discussion page.
Links (in German)
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