In a space like this, what can I possibly say? – My reflections on GLAM Wiki 2025

This year, I attended a GLAM event for the first time in my life, and I’d like to share some learnings and reflections as someone relatively new to this world, despite my long history as a Wikimedian.

I began editing Wikipedia in 2015 when I participated in the writing contest “La mujer que nunca conociste”. The contest was organized by the Bolivian group of volunteers (now Wikimedistas de Bolivia, which I am part of). At the time, I worked in my city’s Cultural Office and had access to the institution’s library. I remember looking for books to use as references for the articles I planned to write for the contest, especially about women who lived before us. I found a book with images of 19th-century women and thought it would be ideal to scan them for the articles. That’s how I created one of my first Wikipedia articles: the one about Bolivian pianist and philanthropist Modesta Sanginés Uriarte (1832-1887). It was also my first digitization for Wikimedia Commons.

I didn’t know it then, but that small act contributed to open culture. Now, as I look back at the article while writing this, it brings me real joy to see that image being used in articles in different languages, in WikiDonne project lists, and on Wikidata. In fact, it’s the first image that comes up on Google for her, and it’s one of the very few pictures of Modesta Sanginés available online.

Why am I telling you all this? Because I feel it’s important to recognize the value of that work, even if it’s small. At first, I was very intimidated about attending this year’s GLAM Wiki. The idea of being among people who dedicate themselves to digitizing thousands of documents, releasing tons of data, and working with huge institutions that have run GLAM projects for decades made me anxious. In a space like this, what can I possibly say?

At Wikimedistas de Bolivia, we’ve been working on small projects to digitize important Bolivian documents that are in the public domain, and personal or family photo archives that have encyclopedic relevance. We’re a pretty small team, and our experience is different from other groups, not just because of our size, but because of the reality of our country. In Bolivia, the simple act of digitizing an image and releasing it on Wikimedia Commons is enormous, because we are often moving something from 0% to 100%.

Sometimes, I want to do more. Sometimes I compare what we’re doing in Bolivia with what larger chapters or user groups are doing, and I get frustrated that we aren’t building such strong alliances or releasing data on that scale. But then I remember that what we are doing is very valuable. We are combating the content gap. We are working through the difficulties inherent to being in the Global South. And we are gradually working on more ambitious and comprehensive projects.

So, what was I able to say in Lisbon? That in the wiki world and in the open culture movement, every contribution counts. Every intention is valuable. And every digitization, no matter how small, is an act of rebellion for free knowledge.