2025:Program/The State of GLAM Wiki Technology and Tools: Charting a Sustainable Path Forward
Session title: The State of GLAM Wiki Technology and Tools: Charting a Sustainable Path Forward
- Session type: Lecture
- Track: GLAM
- Language: en
đ„ Session recording: https://w.wiki/F8dw đ„
Cultural institutions (GLAMâGalleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums) have increasingly collaborated with Wikimedia projects, yet persistent technical and systemic challenges threaten the sustainability and growth of these efforts. This session explores the current health of GLAM Wiki technology and tools, examining key issues such as tool reliability, structured data integration, workflow efficiencies, and metrics for impact assessment. Referencing insights from the GLAM CSI (Contributor Study Initiative) and other community experiences, we will identify vulnerabilities and promising strategies for technical and community-driven improvements. Attendees will better understand the existing landscape, discuss actionable solutions, and collaboratively envision a path forward.
Description
The collaboration between GLAM institutions and Wikimedia projects has unlocked significant cultural knowledge and broadened public access to heritage resources. However, the growth and long-term sustainability of these collaborations face multiple technical, organizational, and community-based obstacles. Core challenges include outdated or poorly maintained tools, fragmented workflows, complexities around structured data and metadata integration, and inadequate methods for measuring impact.
The GLAM CSI (Contributor Study Initiative), conducted by the Smithsonian Institution and funded by the Wikimedia Foundation in 2024, has extensively studied these challenges to provide comprehensive insights and recommendations. Based on GLAM CSI's final report (January 2024), this session provides an informed snapshot of the current "health" of GLAM wiki initiatives. Key issues identified through recent research include the unreliability of critical upload and reporting tools, challenges in adopting Structured Data on Commons, and the broader difficulty in synchronizing institutional data with Wikimedia platforms sustainably.
The session will highlight examples of various strategies that institutions and communities have adopted, such as streamlined workflows for large-scale contributions, effective practices for structured data management, and robust metrics to track and demonstrate impact. It will also examine innovative tools and methods emerging within the Wikimedia ecosystem, providing practical guidance for institutions struggling with similar challenges.
An interactive component will engage participants in discussing priority areas for tool development, exploring opportunities for collaboration, and identifying practical steps institutions and communities can undertake immediately. Key recommendations for both immediate action and long-term strategic planning will be shared, fostering a collaborative dialogue to strengthen the GLAM Wiki technical and community infrastructure.
Session Objectives:
- Assess the current state and health of GLAM Wiki technologies and tools.
- Identify critical vulnerabilities and challenges, referencing GLAM CSI findings.
- Discuss innovative solutions and best practices for sustained contribution.
- Foster collaborative strategies for future development and support.
Target Audience:
- GLAM professionals and Wikimedia contributors
- Wikimedia tool developers and technologists
- Community organizers and Wikimedians-in-residence
- How does your session relate to the event theme, Wikimania@20 â Inclusivity. Impact. Sustainability?
This session addresses the event themes of Inclusivity, Impact, and Sustainability by focusing on the critical infrastructure and community practices needed to ensure inclusive participation from diverse cultural institutions, measurable impact through robust analytics and reporting, and sustainable practices to maintain long-term engagement.
- What is the experience level needed for the audience for your session?
Everyone can participate in this session
- Etherpad link
Resources
Speakers
- Andrew Lih
- Andrew Lih has been a Wikipedia editor since 2003 and is an administrator on English Wikipedia and Wikidata. He is the author of the 2009 book The Wikipedia Revolution: How a bunch of nobodies created the worldâs greatest encyclopedia. He is a passionate advocate of collaborative efforts between the cultural and heritage sector and the Wikimedia community. In the United States, he serves as Wikimedian at Large at the Smithsonian Institution, the world's largest museum, education, and research complex. In 2022, he was named one of the first Wikimedia Laureate for his lifetime of work with the Wikimedia movement.