GLAM/Newsletter/May 2025/Contents/Poland report

This Month in GLAM – Volume XV, Issue V, May 2025

Poland report

What's up in GLAM in Poland

GLAM-Wiki in Poland: Presenting at the National Conference of Museum Registrars

In May 2025, Wikimedia Polska was invited to present at the annual conference of the Polish Association of Museum Registrars (Polskie Stowarzyszenie Inwentaryzatorów Muzealnych). The two-day event brought together professionals from museums across Poland who are responsible for documenting, describing, and managing collections — often working behind the scenes, but playing a key role in cultural heritage preservation.

Kamila Neuman, Open Culture Manager at Wikimedia Polska, gave a presentation titled “Opening Museum Collections through GLAM-Wiki Partnerships: Perspectives and Practices.” It was an opportunity to introduce the Wikimedia movement and explain how platforms like Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, and Wikidata can support museums in increasing the visibility and accessibility of their collections — using the data and resources they already have.

During the talk, she referred to striking statistics from the Swedish Museums Association, showing that 9 out of 10 museum audiences today are digital. While Polish museums report in-person visitor data, there is still a gap when it comes to measuring and understanding digital reach. Kamila highlighted the importance of collecting and comparing such data to support more strategic approaches to online engagement.

This experience also offered a valuable opportunity to learn more about the everyday work and challenges faced by museum registrars in Poland — including the complex task of acquiring rights to reproduce and share objects. “I left the conference feeling inspired and enriched,” she said. “There’s a real curiosity in this community about open access, and I believe there is great potential for collaboration.”

Wikimedia Polska continues to work with both large and small cultural institutions, helping them find simple, sustainable ways to share their collections with the world through Wikimedia projects.

WikiChełmoński Editing Campaign – Still Open Until June 29!

Wikimedia Polska, in partnership with the National Museum in Poznań and the National Museum in Krakow, invites the international Wikimedia and GLAM-Wiki communities to take part in the WikiChełmoński editing campaign – a collaborative initiative that brings together museum research and the free knowledge movement.

The campaign focuses on the life and work of Józef Chełmoński, one of Poland’s most renowned painters, whose work is rich in themes related to nature, rural life, and the environment. So far, 16 new or expanded articles have been created, but there’s still much to do!

We welcome contributions across Wikimedia projects, including: writing and expanding Wikipedia articles, translating content into other languages, editing and enriching related Wikidata items, adding alternative text descriptions to images.

To support participants and inspire new contributions, we’re also organizing a webinar in June dedicated to Chełmoński’s late work and his deep connection with the natural landscape.

As a special highlight: five articles created or improved during the campaign will be featured on-site at the National Museum in Krakow through QRpedia codes linked directly to Wikipedia – allowing visitors to explore curated knowledge about selected paintings as part of the exhibition opening in August.

This campaign is part of ongoing GLAM-Wiki partnerships aimed at expanding open access to cultural heritage around the world.

Join us in making art and heritage more accessible – one article at a time!

More info: WikiChełmoński campaign website.

← Previous "Poland report"