What GLAM Wiki 2025 Taught Me: Discovering a New Tool, Visibility and Fresh Perspectives

In late October to early November, I had the opportunity to attend my very first GLAM Wiki Conference in Lisbon, Portugal. The experience was inspiring, and I left with new insights, tools, and strategies that I’m excited to apply to my work.

For those unfamiliar, GLAM stands for Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums. The GLAM Wiki community brings together cultural institutions and Wikimedia contributors to collaborate on making knowledge more accessible and open.

I went into the conference with three main goals: to learn, to share, and to collaborate. As the leader of my community, I’m constantly guiding our GLAM-related projects, so I was eager to discover new methods, share our experiences, and explore potential collaborations particularly through our involvement with the TAROCH Coalition now, Open Heritage Coalition.

Key Takeaways from the Conference: Rethinking Partnerships and Open Knowledge

One of my biggest takeaways from the conference was the importance of clearly defining roles and responsibilities when partnering with museums and other cultural institutions. It’s easy to assume that museums understand open access and copyright, but that’s not always the case. It’s essential to start with clear communication and mutual understanding. This was highlighted during the WikiResilience: Surviving a GLAM Partner Project session by Pru and Kerrie, where they emphasized the need for transparent, ongoing dialogue to ensure successful collaboration.

I also learned that a partnership doesn’t have to end after an initial failure. If the first attempt doesn’t work, it’s often smarter to re-strategize and start with small, manageable projects that can gradually build trust. Many of the conference sessions focused on practical, step-by-step approaches that demonstrate the value of these partnerships over time.

A highlight for me was discovering Humaniki, a project that creates an open dataset about the gender, birthdate, birthplace, and language of content related to human subjects across Wikimedia projects, especially Wikipedia biographies. This tool was introduced during Camelia’s session, “Women’s Sign: Empowering Collective Memory through Open Knowledge”.

Humaniki is powerful because it helps to visualize gender and content gaps in the representation of human biographies. By showing who is represented and who is missing. It empowers editors, organisers, and partners to take targeted action to close these gaps. I’m excited to integrate this tool into our community’s efforts to raise awareness and guide meaningful contributions.

Projects That Inspired Me: Making Women’s Contributions Visible

One of the most inspiring aspects of the conference was learning about projects dedicated to amplifying the voices of women, especially those whose contributions have been forgotten or overlooked by history.

Here are a few projects that particularly stood out:

Digitization of Women’s Handwritten Traces: The Italian Women’s Library in Bologna is preserving handwritten notes, signatures, and dedications from women authors, intellectuals, and actresses. These documents offer a personal connection to history and a glimpse into the lives of women whose stories were often sidelined.

The Spanish Women Researchers Project: A year-long initiative that highlights the contributions of Spanish women researchers between 1900 and 1970. Many of these women did not have photographs, but an illustrator was commissioned to bring their presence to life. The project aims to ensure these women are remembered and recognized.

Curated Wikimedia Collections: A new portfolio platform, Commons Gallery for Wikimedia Commons users and GLAM institutions to showcase curated collections of media. This initiative will help boost visibility for underrepresented stories and encourage storytelling that highlights diverse perspectives.

These projects were a powerful reminder that visibility is a form of justice. By ensuring women’s contributions are not erased, we can help future generations better understand the richness and complexity of history.

Open Culture on a Global Stage: The Open Heritage Coalition

It was great to have Dee Harris from Creative Commons discuss the Open Heritage Coalition and introduce the Open Heritage Statement. This global movement aims to secure UNESCO’s adoption of meaningful recommendations for open culture. The initiative stresses the importance of community-driven engagement at the local level to drive global advocacy.

The good news is that several Wikimedia affiliates have already joined this initiative, working to ensure that UNESCO adopts policies that promote open access to cultural heritage.

If you care about open culture and global access to knowledge, now is the time to get involved. Whether through outreach, advocacy, or simply raising awareness, every contribution makes a difference.

Quotes That Stayed With Me

As I reflect on the conference, a few quotes continue to resonate deeply with me:

• “We can’t talk about access without documenting.”
• “Access builds on understanding, rather than deleting it.”– Filipa Oliveira
• “The future of museums depends on the relationships they build with artists and communities.”– Filipa Oliveira

These quotes capture the essence of why we do this work: to preserve knowledge, make it accessible, and ensure no one is forgotten.

GLAM Wiki 2025 wasn’t just a conference. It was a reminder of why we do this work: to preserve, to open up knowledge, and to make sure no one is forgotten. If you have used tools like Humaniki or know other tools that have supported you as an organiser or editor, I would love to hear about them. Your experience might inspire someone else to take their next step.

Appreciation

I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to the GLAM Wiki 2025 organisers for making this experience possible. Your support allowed me to attend, learn, and engage with a community that is truly empowering.

Join the Conversation

GLAM Wiki 2025 wasn’t just a conference, it was a powerful reminder of the importance of our collective work. I’m excited to apply the insights and tools I’ve gained, especially those like Humaniki, which will help us identify gender and content gaps within our community.

If you’ve used tools like Humaniki or know of other resources that have helped you as an organiser or editor, I’d love to hear about them. Your experiences might inspire others to take their next step toward more inclusive, open knowledge.