Title: “Kulturbotschafterinnen und -Kulturbotschafter", a GLAM-approach in Germany, Austria and Switzerland (DACH)
Speaker: Rainer Halama - Wuselig
Abstract:Wikipedia-KulturbotschafterInnen (Cultural ambassadors) are Wikimedia volunteers who have been trained to be competent partners in discussions with and in between the Wikimedia Community and GLAM-Institutions regarding digital partnerships with the goal to open access to our Cultural Heritage. They do this by bringing these different partners to a common communication level.

It is difficult for a common anonymous Wikimedia Volunteer to approach Cultural Institutions. The larger, the worse. Some actors within the institutions still have large biases to a work that anyone can edit. Anyone to them meaning incompenten amateurs, lacking academic credentials. Both worlds don't really know how the other partner works and which rules and regulations and internal mechanisems shape they see as the results of the other sides works. With the Wikimedia Foundation and local Chapters like WMDE, WMAT and WMCH we have countervailing institutions that are regarded by the GLAM Institution as discussion partners on eye-level. And yes, we as volunteers acknowledge and profit from their great lobbying work. But the core value of our work as Wikimedians is that it is done by independant, self-governed volunteers, free of commercial interests. And so when it comes to the creation of content for our projects our focus should be on facilitating this work by the volunteers, but also try to make our work more sustainable, based on long-term cooperations, forged on continuity, beyond one-time light-tower events. I want to show the history of the Institution "Kulturbotschafter", not denying the controversyy that it also caused resentment with part of our community that the "badge "Kulturbotsachafter" would create some kind of special cast of "Better-Wikimedians", or that WMDE would have a bigger directorial leverage on volunteer work in the GLAM sector. I would like to gather input from other communities in the hope of improving the concept. I could envision the presentation also as part of a broader international discussion on approaches to GLAM-Institutions
Presented at: Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre, 2023-08-17 06:15 to 06:25 UTC