GLAM/Newsletter/June 2026/Contents/Czech Republic report
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Bridging the gap between labs and Wikipedia: continuing cooperation with FZU
Editathons and excursions
Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences was one of the leading partners of Wikimedia Czech Republic for years. In 2026 this cooperation expanded into several new dimensions, which boosted their role in GLAM programme as well as educational activities.
We are developing a long-term cooperation with the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences (FZU) which was initiated in 2023.
The Wikigap edit-a-thon Women in Science was held at the Czech Academy of Sciences headquarters, following successful previous editions in 2023 and 2024. The event was accompanied by a guided tour of the historical building (originally constructed in the 1860s for a savings bank) and an exhibition on Czech dialects in the Science and Art Gallery. This year, FZU Wikipedian Sandwort expanded the red list by adding more than 120 prominent female scientists from various scientific fields in Czechia.
The second edition of Science Month on Wikipedia provided another great opportunity for an edit-a-thon in a scientific environment. In May, we visited one of the FZU facilities, where participants enjoyed a guided tour of the scanning electron microscope laboratory with commentary on research and production of photovoltaic panels. A second group had the opportunity to explore the entire 1920s complex, which features beautiful Art Deco elements.
Both events brought together scientists, Wikipedians, and students, fostering a two-way learning experience - academics learned more about Wikimedia projects, while the general public had a unique opportunity to see where cutting-edge research takes place.
One lesson emerging from GLAM collaborations is that even a relatively small collection of openly licensed images can achieve substantial public reach when used effectively. For example, just 32 images contributed by FZU and subsequently incorporated into Wikipedia articles are now accounting for more than 30,000 page views in a single month.
This also highlights an important point for GLAM partners: uploading images is only the first step. The greater challenge - and where the true impact lies - is identifying relevant articles where these images improve readers’ understanding of the topic. Careful matching of visual material with relevant content can significantly increase both visibility and educational value.
During both Wikigap and Science Month, participants made use of the Czech Academy of Sciences Photobank which releases all its photos under CC BY-SA 4.0 license - thanks to previous efforts of Wikipedian Chmee2.
Another example of this cooperation is that more FZU employees are now contributing to Wikimedia projects directly. A notable instance is the discovery image of the first Czech comet detected in the southern hemisphere. FZU also continues to release more materials on Wikimedia Commons, such as the educational comics about nanoworld (in english).
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