GLAM/Newsletter/July 2025/Contents/AvoinGLAM report
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Introducing Oulu Löyly – we want to hear your thoughts!
AvoinGLAM continues the series of sauna-related events. Following the success of AI Sauna and other cultural heritage hackathons, we are preparing Oulu Löyly, a hands-on creative and strategic think & do fest as part of Oulu2026 European city of culture, tentatively 8–10 June, 2026 with pre-events 6–7 June, 2026.
Oulu Löyly will bring together a mix of change-makers: heritage communities, GLAM professionals, policy-makers, Wikimedians and open advocates, creative practitioners, researchers and technologists to design futures for sharing cultural heritage in the digital environment, so that small actors such as community archives, vulnerable communities and grassroots initiatives can benefit from and control their heritage while keeping it openly accessible.
Regional event with a global topic
The event also brings together different geographical dimensions. The map for activities is laid out by northern conditions, local communities, and European legislation, but also reaching out to peers across the globe with similar challenges in the digital environments. It is an opportunity to strengthen regional collaboration in the Nordic and Baltic countries in support of responsible open sharing of knowledge and culture, while adding momentum to global initiatives that highlight the role of culture in sustainable development and as a public good.
Wikimedia meetups
The event provides the setting for regional meetups organized together with Nordic Wikimedia chapters Wikimedia Finland, Wikimedia Norway, and Wikimedia Estonia and in partnership with Wikitongues. It will host the meeting of the Nordic and Baltic chapters and a meetup of Finno-Ugric wikimedians.
Community engagement survey
Would you be open to answering a few quick questions?
- You can familiarize yourself with the survey, and respond to it by August 24, 2025
- or you can email your thoughts to susanna.anas@avoinglam.fi
- We would be happy to talk about this with you, and could alternatively schedule a quick online chat.
If you would like to find out more, you can get an idea of the themes and topics, and start contributing your ideas to the event! We will be at the GLAM Wiki 2025 conference in Lisbon, where we can plan together in person!
✱ Learn to pronounce Oulu Löyly: /ˈou̯lu ˈløy̯ly/
We welcome you with a little linguistic exercise. The words Oulu and löyly both include diphthongs – combinations of two vowel sounds within one syllable – that are typical in Finnish and other Finno-Ugric languages.
Löyly is also rooted in many finno-ugric cultures, meaning the steam or spirit released when water is thrown on sauna stones. For the event, it is a reminder for taking a holistic view of culture, language and the environment together.
Start practising already!
You can also view an explainer video about the event!
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