This document discusses Wiki projects and collaborations between Wiki projects and cultural heritage institutions (GLAMs) like libraries, archives, and museums around the world. It provides an overview of Wiki projects' mission to provide free knowledge to everyone. It describes outreach projects to strengthen smaller language Wikipedias and engage experts in academia and cultural institutions. Finally, it highlights some successful collaborations between GLAMs and Wiki projects in different countries and discusses ongoing efforts in Israel to engage more cultural institutions in Wiki projects.

1. An Introduction to
-Wiki Projects
Digital Heritage Conference, 2012
Shani Evenstein
National GLAM Projects Coordinator
Wikimedia Israel
glam@wikimedia.org.il

2. Part 1 –
An Intro to Wiki Projects
Around the World

3. Wikipedia’s Mission
“to provide a free, high quality
encyclopedia
to every single person on the planet
in their own language”
Jimmy Wales, Jan 2011

4. Our Rules

5. Set Knowledge Free

6. By the People, For the People
• Created by the public, worldwide
• Maintained by the public, worldwide
• Supported by the public, worldwide

7. Giving Back and Reaching Out:
Wiki projects
1 - Strengthen the weak: Outreach Projects
2 – Make the strong even stronger: Wiki in the
Academia & GLAM

8. 1 – Outreach Wiki Projects
The most general goal:
to encourage the expansion of smaller language
Wikipedias through advice, encouragement,
and general assistance.
• Empowering the “global south” via access to free
knowledge.
• Preserving cultural knowledge on the verge of
extinction.

9. 2 – Wiki in the Academia & GLAM

10. Quantity & Quality
“content improves with more people
involved. There are now 10.000 very active
editors. Many eyes checking and editing loads
of information. System mistakes are fixed by
the community.
So, we want universities, research centers,
professionals and specialists from different
areas to become part of the community,
sharing their experience. This will
automaticly improve the quality”.
Kul Wadhwa (UOC, Open University of Catalonia, 2010)
Wikimedia Head of Bussiness Developement

11. Collaborations with Educational
institutions
• “Campus Ambassador” projects
• More “expert” writers
• Writing articles as an academic assignment:
education the next generation

12. Part 2 -

13. What’s , anyway?
• GALLERIES
• LIBRARIES
• ARCHIVES
• MUSEUMS
To begin with..

14. Could it ever work..?
GLAMs WIKIPEDIA
 © Texts and images  Free and reusable texts
 Academicism  Populism
 Paid work  Volunteer work
 Scientific Rigour  Questionable reliability
 Original research  Referenced sources
 Vulnerable contributions  Erasing promotional contents
 Transmitting information  Is considered advertising
 Closed & reserved world  Open and shared world

15. What’s in it for GLAMs?
• It’s affordable (and usually free)
• E-volunteers from around the world
• More traffic back to your site
• A new platform to share your resources;
which often falls in line with your mission
• New energy to an often stale work in
environment
• Challenges traditional GLAM practices
And.. the future is here, baby!

16. Comitted to collaborate
Spreading knowledge
reaching the maximum audience
with the highest quality
WIKIPEDIA MUSEUMS
- Free encyclopedia - Expertise content
- Most consulted in the world - All knowledge areas
- +250 active editions

17. Ways to Collaborate
• Creating a “Wikipedian-in-Residence” program
• Image & Media donation to Commons
• Coordinating GLAM outreach events
• Updating your Institution’s articles
• Using Wikipedia QR codes
• Sharing historical footage
• Allowing Wikimedians to digitally restore images
• Adding a Wikipedia citation template to your database
• Improving and using Wikipedia articles for an exhibition
• Improving the quality of OCR

18. Success Stories:
Museums & Galleries
? ? The Children’s Museum,
Indianapolis
Smithsonian
Museu Picasso,
Barcelona MOMA

19. Success Stories:
Libraries
Australia
France
UK

20. Success Stories:
Archives
NARA
Bundesarchiv
Archives of
American Art
Regional Archive,
Norway

21. Success Stories:
More
Federal Public Art in
government of the Milwaukee
United States

22. This is a worldwide movement;
And Israel has joined the party!

23. Part 3 -

24. Israel Joins the Global Effort
• 09/2011 – “GLAM: Israel Museum, Jerusalem” Project
• 12/2011 – “GLAM: National Library of Israel” Project
• 08/2012 – “GLAM: Library of Haifa University” Project
• 09/2012 – “GLAM: Wiki Loves Monuments” Contest
• Other / future collaborators –
- Bezalel Academy of Art and Desigh,
- Israel State Archives
- Museum of Jewish Diaspora
- The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
-?

25. GLAM in Israel: Some Challenges
• Increasing “GLAM awareness” –
– within the Hebrew Wikipedia community
– within the general public: new editors
• Collaborating with more GLAMs & Academic world
• Smaller editing community
• Technical tools
• Lack of infrastructure [WLM, Public Art]

26. Thanks you for Listening!
An Introduction to
-Wiki Projects
Digital Heritage Conference, 2012
Shani Evenstein
National GLAM Projects Coordinator
Wikimedia Israel
glam@wikimedia.org.il