GLAM/Newsletter/March 2026/Contents/Macedonia report
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Wikimedia MKD's GLAM Highlights: Botany and Beyond
The GLAM Program in 2026 is focused on the documentation, digitization, and promotion of Macedonia’s cultural and natural heritage through Wikimedia platforms. The program aimed to strengthen collaboration with cultural and scientific institutions, while increasing the availability of free and reliable knowledge online.
In the beginning of the year, activities were directed towards creating and improving content, as well as making valuable materials accessible to a wider audience. In addition to ongoing digitization and content contributions, the program also included the organization of workshops aimed at engaging participants and supporting content creation on Wikimedia projects. This year the program is centered around the theme "Botany of Macedonia".
Edit-a-thon "Women Botanists"
On the occasion of International Women’s Day – March 8, Wikimedia MKD organized an edit-а-thon and workshop at its premises in the Youth Cultural Center (MKC) on March 6. The event aimed to promote gender equality on Wikipedia. Through such activities, the goal is to reduce the gender gap on Wikipedia and increase the visibility of women’s contributions in various fields. The event was attended by 9 students from Gymnasium “Josip Broz Tito” – Skopje, who actively contributed to improving the Macedonian-language Wikipedia.
The edit-a-thon focused on the theme “Women Botanists”, highlighting the important role of women in the development of botany and natural sciences. While editing, participants learned about the lives, scientific work, and achievements of many women botanists who have made significant contributions to the study of plant life.
This theme is also connected to Wikimedia MKD’s annual GLAM program for this year, titled “Botany of Macedonia”, which aims to enrich and improve content related to botany and plant life in Macedonia. The program encourages the creation of new encyclopedic articles and the expansion of existing ones to improve the availability of knowledge in the Macedonian language.
Since many of these topics are still insufficiently covered on Macedonian Wikipedia, students translated and adapted articles from the English Wikipedia. Through this process, they learned how to adapt texts, edit encyclopedic articles, and follow Wikipedia’s rules and standards, helping expand Macedonian Wikipedia with reliable information that was previously available mainly in other languages.
At the same time, editing activities were also carried out within wiki clubs across the country. Members of Wiki Club Kumanovo, Wiki Club Veles, and Wiki Club Drachevo worked in parallel on articles related to the same theme, contributing to the joint initiative to mark this day and enrich Macedonian Wikipedia. During the activity, participated 22 students and created 45 articles, contributing to better representation of women scientists on Macedonian Wikipedia.
You can see how it went through the photographic material uploaded on Commons, but also some of the photos are bellow:
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Editing on Wikipedia -
Editing on Wikipedia -
Editing on Wikipedia -
Editing on Wikipedia -
Editing on Wikipedia -
Editing on Wikipedia
Wiki club Veles workshop
On 13 March 2026, an educational field workshop was organized for students from Wiki Club Veles as part of the Wikimedia MKD GLAM Program 2026, dedicated to the theme “Botany of Macedonia.” The program aims to encourage research and documentation of plant life in the country and to expand free knowledge online with information about plants and their uses.
The workshop took place in Veles, where students participated in field-based learning activities. They first visited the local market and spoke with an experienced herbalist who explained how medicinal plants are identified, collected, dried, and used in traditional medicine. Students showed great interest and asked questions about the characteristics and healing properties of different herbs.
During the visit, they also spoke with local vegetable producers who explained the process of plant cultivation—from soil preparation and planting seeds to caring for the plants and harvesting the final products. In addition, a local beekeeper introduced the students to the importance of nectar-producing plants and explained the role of bees as essential pollinators in nature.
The workshop continued with a visit to a local agricultural supply store, where students explored different fruit and vegetable seedlings as well as seeds from various crops. They learned about the conditions necessary for plant growth and how young plants are prepared for planting.
Through this field workshop, students gained practical knowledge about plant life, agriculture, and traditional uses of medicinal plants. The activity also encouraged them to document plants through photography and to create or improve botany-related content on Wikipedia.
You can see how it went through the photographic material uploaded on Commons, but also some of the photos are bellow:
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The students at the bazar -
The students at the bazar -
The students at the bazar -
The students at the bazar -
The students at the bazar -
The students at the bazar
“Plants Around Us: Veles” workshop
On March 17, 2026, Wikimedia MKD organized an edit-a-thon titled “Plants Around Us: Veles” for the Wiki Club Veles, aiming to encourage young people’s interest in natural sciences while enriching Wikipedia content related to local flora. The event was held under the mentorship of the club coordinator Lili Arsova and biology teacher Elizabeta Nikolovska, with participation from students of Kocho Racin High School in Veles, who actively engaged in all phases of the activity—from field research to creating encyclopedic content.
The first part of the marathon took place outdoors, where students explored vegetation in their natural surroundings. Through practical work and observation, they learned about plant diversity, focusing on herbaceous plants, different types of flowers, and their characteristics. They analyzed leaf shapes, plant structures, and reproduction processes, gaining a deeper understanding of biological concepts. Additional topics included coniferous trees and their specific traits, as well as creeping plants and their spread in nature, helping students connect classroom knowledge with real-life examples.
Participants were also introduced to the process of creating a herbarium, from collecting and selecting plant samples to drying and preserving them. Inspired by this, they began creating their own herbariums using materials gathered during fieldwork, developing attention to detail, systematic work habits, and environmental responsibility.
Following the practical activities, students took part in the edit-a-thon, transforming their knowledge into new Wikipedia articles. They learned how to structure encyclopedic content and contribute to free knowledge, resulting in the creation of six new articles about biographies of botanists.
You can see how it went through the photographic material uploaded on Commons, but also some of the photos are bellow:
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The students -
The students with the biology teacher -
The students -
The herbarium -
The students creating articles -
The students
“Plants Around Us: Demir Hisar” workshop
On 25 March 2026, a workshop titled “Plants Around Us: Demir Hisar” was organized for members of the Wiki Club Demir Hisar. The event aimed to foster students’ interest in botany, encourage exploration of plant life in their local environment, and actively engage them in creating free encyclopedic content.
The workshop was designed as a dynamic activity combining field-based learning with practical application. In the first part, students visited the Slepche Monastery, where they explored the rich plant life in the surrounding area while also learning about the site’s cultural and spiritual significance. The nuns introduced the history of the monastery and shared information about its importance, offering students a deeper understanding of its heritage. They also guided the participants through the monastery garden, orchard, and greenhouse, where students took part in a hands-on learning session and became familiar with different types of herbs, flowers, and vegetables, as well as basic principles of plant cultivation and care.
In the second part of the workshop, participants focused on practical work on Wikipedia. With guidance from representatives of Wikimedia MKD and the Wiki Club coordinator, the students created and edited articles about plants found in Macedonia, following encyclopedic standards. This activity helped them develop their digital literacy, as well as their skills in researching, selecting, and presenting information.
A total of 5 students took part in the workshop, producing 15 new articles in Macedonian. Through their work, they made a valuable contribution to expanding botanical content, particularly related to local natural heritage.
You can see how it went through the photographic material uploaded on Commons, but also some of the photos are bellow:
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The monastery garden -
The monastery garden -
The monastery garden -
The students writing articles -
The students writing articles -
The students with the coordinator of Wiki club Demir Hisar and Wikimedia MKD's executive director Snezana Strkovksa
GLAM Coordinator activities
In the beginning 2026, the GLAM Coordinator carried out continuous and structured activities focused on the digitization, documentation, and dissemination of scientific and cultural heritage materials in collaboration with relevant institutions.
On a monthly basis, the coordinator worked with the Macedonian National Herbarium at the Institute of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics in Skopje, where they photographed endemic and rare plant species. These activities resulted in the creation of high-quality visual documentation, photographs of herbarium specimens uploaded monthly to Wikimedia Commons. All files were properly categorized, described, and integrated into relevant Wikimedia projects to ensure accessibility and long-term usability.
In parallel, the coordinator contributed to the preservation and promotion of intangible cultural heritage by digitizing literary works. Each month, folk tales were uploaded to Wikisource within the category “Folk Tales Collected by Marko Cepenkov.” The materials were carefully formatted, reviewed, and organized to meet Wikimedia standards and to ensure they are easily accessible to the public.
Additionally, the coordinator actively worked on improving Wikipedia content related to endemic and rare plant species in Macedonia. This included translating and expanding articles, enhancing their quality with additional references, structured information, and relevant media. These contributions significantly improved the coverage and reliability of scientific content available in the Macedonian language.
Overall, the GLAM Coordinator maintained consistent monthly output across multiple Wikimedia platforms, combining fieldwork, digitization, content creation, and editorial improvements, thereby strengthening open access to knowledge related to Macedonia’s natural and cultural heritage.
Wikipedians in residence activities
In addition to the activities led by the GLAM Coordinator, the Wikipedians in residence actively contributed to the program by creating and expanding articles on the theme of “Botany of Macedonia.” They focused on creating high-quality content about endemic and rare plant species, ensuring accurate descriptions, references, and proper categorization. Their efforts complemented the digitization work, helping to enrich Macedonian Wikipedia with reliable and accessible scientific information.
- From the team
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- North Macedonia report
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- Sweden report
- Switzerland report
- UK report
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- USA report
- Biodiversity Heritage Library report
- AvoinGLAM report
- Memory of the World report
- Calendar
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