GLAM/Newsletter/March 2026/Contents/AvoinGLAM report
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Oulu Löyly
Apply to join Oulu Löyly!
Oulu Löyly – open culture think & do fest takes place in Oulu, Finland on 8–10 June 2026 as part of the Oulu2026 – European Capital of Culture program in the newly renovated Oulu Central Library Saari. It brings together advocates of open culture, policy makers, technologists, researchers and creative thinkers to discuss heritage at risk and the open digital environment.
The goal is to craft actionable digital survival strategies for under-resourced community archives, endangered languages or heritage under threat in the digital era.
The program features a public Open Culture Fair and Oulu Sauna Festival on Monday 8 June, the nightless night, and the intensive think & do workshop on Tuesday–Wednesday 9–10 June.
Nordic Wikimedia and open knowledge meetups take place during the weekend before.
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Oulu Central Library Saari -
Plan of the ground floor of the library
Oulu Central Library Saari
Oulu Central Library Saari is the venue for Oulu Löyly. The library was designed by architects Marjatta and Martti Jaatinen in 1981, and renewed in 2025 by JKMM Architects. It is part of a cultural heritage site of national significance in Finland (RKY). The renovated library reopened to the public in November 2025.
Open Culture Fair
8 June 2026, Central Library Saari
The opening day of Oulu Löyly is an Open Cultural Fair that is open to the public. The participants will share their superpowers: advocate for policies and practices, showcase projects and programs, and run mini workshops introducing their work.
Keynote presentations and the panel discussion outlining the event topics will be streamed online.
Sauna Festival
8 June 2026, Tuira Beach
After a hectic day, the participants will warm up their collaboration at the Oulu Sauna Festival. The event features over ten saunas, including sauna containers and a floating sauna.
Think & do
9–10 June 2026, Central Library Saari
Tuesday
- Making groups – The participants already have a strong sense of each other from the previous day’s program. With a bit of encouragement, those with shared interests can come together and form groups to work toward a common goal.
- Drafting – Planning will be in full thrust before lunch!
- Group work – And after lunch everyone will be fully focused on their work! There are many other spaces around the library where it is possible to work, as well as outside.
- Check-in – We return to the Laituri space for the situation check-in.
- Optional working time – People who wish to continue working after the check-in, can work in the space until the library closes.
Wednesday
- Finalizing group work – There will be a little time to finalize and prepare the presentations.
- Presentations – The results are presented in the Laituri space, and the session is streamed.
- Discussion – After the presentations we will wrap up the work and envision next steps.
Join!
We are inviting GLAM Wikimedians interested in exploring the topic of heritage at risk. Oulu Löyly is free of charge. It includes breakfast, lunch and the sauna festival for the think & do participants, but we cannot offer travel or accommodation support.
Read more about the program and apply to join!
- From the team
- Albania report
- Aruba report
- Bolivia report
- Brazil report
- Colombia report
- Czech Republic report
- Germany report
- India report
- Italy report
- New Zealand report
- North Macedonia report
- Portugal report
- Serbia report
- Sweden report
- Switzerland report
- UK report
- Ukraine report
- USA report
- Biodiversity Heritage Library report
- AvoinGLAM report
- Memory of the World report
- Calendar