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2023:Program/GLAM, Heritage, and Culture/QLXVWD-100'000 institutions on the Wikimedia projects: A new strategy to activate in a simple way all the institutions around the world

From Wikimania

Title: 100'000 institutions on the Wikimedia projects: A new strategy to activate in a simple way all the institutions around the world

Speakers:

Iolanda Pensa

Iolanda Pensa is senior researcher and head of the research area “Culture and Territory” at the Institute of Design of SUPSI University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, where she is also consultant for Open Science and board member. She has been contributing to Wikipedia since 2006; she is chair of Wikimedia Italia, chair of the Wikimania Steering Committee and Wikimania Esino Lario 2016. She has been scientific director of WikiAfrica from 2007 to 2012 (producing 34’000 African contribution to the Wikimedia projects) and of “Share Your Knowledge: Creative Commons and Wikipedia for Cultural institutions 2011-2012 (involving over 100 institutions in relating content with open licenses and tools). Art historian, she holds a Ph.D. in Social anthropology and ethnography at the EHESS in Paris and in Territorial government and planning at the Politecnico di Milano. Her research work focuses on contemporary African art, public art and biennials, systems of knowledge production and distribution, Wikipedia and open licenses. Photo by Adam Novak / Wikimedia Foundation, CC BY-SA.

Dario Crespi

Dario Crespi is a wikimedian since 2007. Member of Wikimedia Italia staff, he is involved in projects Tutti i musei su Wikipedia (Empowering Italian GLAMs) and Wiki Loves Monuments in Italy. Photo by Niccolò Caranti, CC BY-S 4.0.

Pretalx link

Etherpad link

Room: Room 325

Start time: Fri, 18 Aug 2023 11:35:00 +0800

End time: Fri, 18 Aug 2023 11:55:00 +0800

Type: Lecture

Track: GLAM, Heritage, and Culture

Submission state: confirmed

Duration: 20 minutes

Do not record: false

Presentation language: en


Abstract & description

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Abstract

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A strategy to activate all institutions around the world on the Wikimedia projects: an accompanying path aimed at all institutions to start an open access policy by making 20 images available with open licenses and tools. The proposal is based on the strategy and instruments implemented by the ongoing project “Empowering Italian GLAMs” which focuses on 3’000 Italian museums (promoted Wikimedia Italy, with ICOM Italy, Creative Commons Italy, University of Turin and co-funding Wikimedia Foundation).

Description

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The current GLAMs model facilitates the collaboration with major institutions that already have extensive digitalizations of their heritage and it involves a Wikipedian in residence. However, this approach is not effective if we want to involve and activate even the smallest institutions that represent most of the world’s institutions, which can provide a real diversity of contents and which often intentionally present a divergent perspective with respect to large institutions.

Based on the project “Empowering Italian GLAMs” (2022-2024) which is currently targeting 3,000 Italian museums in a particularly complex legislative context, this session presents a strategy baed on a simple communication campaign which invites all institutions to make available 20 images (building and examples of their collections) with open licenses and tools through an online form. The online form does not directly publish images on Wikimedia Commons, but accompanies institutions in a process which allows them to review their data on Wikidata, upload a permission and open access policy, accompany their images with a text and bibliography. This external interface (which subsequently allows to validate and upload contents) allows to manage authorizations and complex legislative situations, it archives documents as a primary source and it provides an institutional mediated contribution to Wikimedia projects.

This process is a starting point in creating and implementing an open access policy on a small selection of content, it allows institutions to test “openness” and take advantage of the synergy with the Wikimedia projects (by contributing to Wikimedia Commons, improving data on Wikidata and possibly on one or more Wikipedia articles). By simply focusing on round twenty images, the approach potentially addresses all institutions, even the smallest ones and those who do not currently have digitalizations. Furthermore, rather than focusing on opening the collections, the method is close to communication strategies with which many organizations are already familiar (for example by providing images to journalists or for promotional brochures). The method is a first step in openness which can be followed by further contributions, up to a complete data management plan based on the principle of open by default.

Further details

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Qn. How does your session relate to the event themes: Diversity, Collaboration Future?

This session focuses on the theme of diversity.

In order for Wikimedia projects to document and represent the diversity of the world, we need to activate both people and institutions.

Institutions (GLAMs, but also universities, foundations, journals, media, NGOs working in cooperation and development) own, produce and support the creation of a vast number of multilingual and multimedia contents. These are digital reproductions of their works in the public domain but also educational resources, websites, researches and publications. Supporting the openness of the contents of institutions around the world through the use of open licenses and tools (in the context of open access, open data, open science and openGLAMs) allows to benefit from a vast, diverse and existing knowledge.

Qn. What is the experience level needed for the audience for your session?

Everyone can participate in this session

Qn. What is the most appropriate format for this session?

  • Tick Onsite in Singapore
  • Empty Remote online participation, livestreamed
  • Empty Remote from a satellite event
  • Empty Hybrid with some participants in Singapore and others dialing in remotely
  • Empty Pre-recorded and available on demand