GLAM/Newsletter/May 2026/Contents/Poland report
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Partnerships, Participation, and Open Knowledge
From Planning to Action: GLAM-Wiki Collaboration with Nicolaus Copernicus University Library
A workshop was held at the Nicolaus Copernicus University Library as the next step in its collaboration within the GLAM-Wiki programme. The session was led by Kamila Neuman, Open Culture Manager at Wikimedia Polska. The primary goal of the workshop was to assess the library’s presence and the visibility of its collections in Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons as a starting point for planning initial GLAM-Wiki activities. Participants identified gaps, areas for improvement, and opportunities to strengthen the connection between the institution and its resources across Wikimedia projects.
During the workshop, staff members learned methods for discovering, organizing, and assessing resources within Wikimedia projects, including ways to identify materials related to the library that had not yet been properly categorized. The session enabled the team to use their subject expertise to define priorities and plan activities that address the needs identified during the analysis.
Participants also added themselves to the list of project participants and began documenting planned activities on the dedicated collaboration page.
One of the first outcomes of this collaboration followed later in May, when the library organized a local editing event as part of the international 1Lib1Ref campaign. Responding to Wikimedia Polska’s invitation to participate, librarians worked together to improve Wikipedia articles by adding reliable references drawn from both print and digital sources, including materials available through the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Digital Library.
The event demonstrated how librarians’ expertise and trusted collections can contribute directly to improving the quality of information available on Wikipedia while supporting open access to knowledge.
Introducing Wikimedia Projects to the University of Life Sciences in Lublin
Dr Katarzyna Makowska, Open Science Manager, and Kamila Neuman, Open Culture Manager at Wikimedia Polska, delivered an online training session for staff of the University of Life Sciences in Lublin titled “Wikimedia and the Academic Community – Natural Allies.”
The introductory session presented the potential of Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, and Wikidata for use in academic institutions. Participants learned about examples of collaboration between universities and Wikimedia projects, as well as ways in which open platforms can increase the accessibility, visibility, and impact of knowledge and digital resources.
The training provided an introduction to Wikimedia projects and their potential applications in academia, creating a foundation for further conversations about possible areas of collaboration with the university.
Wikimedia Projects and Living Heritage at the International Seminar “Language as a Vehicle of Intangible Cultural Heritage”
Kamila Neuman, Open Culture Manager at Wikimedia Polska, participated in the international seminar "Language as a Vehicle of Intangible Cultural Heritage" held at the University of Warsaw on the occasion of the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. Our thanks to Professor Hanna Schreiber and the team of the UNESCO Chair on Intangible Cultural Heritage in Public and Global Governance for the invitation to join the seminar and to share the Wikimedia perspective on language, cultural heritage, and artificial intelligence.
As part of the panel on technology and artificial intelligence in heritage safeguarding, Kamila joined Dr Joanna Dolińska (University of Warsaw) and Prof. Fabrizio Galeazzi (Anglia Ruskin University) in a discussion moderated by Dr Bartosz Pieliński. The panel explored the opportunities and challenges of using digital technologies and AI in the documentation, sharing, and safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage.
Drawing on examples from Wikimedia projects, including the Wayuunaiki–language Wikipedia created by the Indigenous Wayuu community and the “Wikipedia na Kurpiowszczyźnie” initiative, the presentation highlighted that Wikimedia projects are more than repositories of information. They also provide spaces for linguistic diversity, community participation, self-representation, and knowledge sharing in local and minority languages.
The discussion also addressed emerging challenges related to the use of openly shared cultural knowledge by AI systems. Participants explored questions of community agency, recognition, and the fair use of cultural knowledge, emphasizing that safeguarding living heritage requires supporting the communities that create and sustain it – not only documenting its digital traces.
Building a Guidebook for New Wikimedians in Residence
On 26 May, members of the growing network of Polish Wikimedians in Residence met online for another peer-learning session facilitated by Kamila Neuman, Open Culture Manager at Wikimedia Polska. The meeting series provides a space for exchanging experiences, discussing common challenges, and developing good practices for Wikimedia residencies in cultural institutions.
This session focused on the development of a guidebook for new Wikimedians in Residence. Participants worked together to identify the key topics and resources that such a guide should include, with the aim of supporting newcomers in their onboarding process while bringing together practical advice and lessons learned from existing residency programmes.
Planned for development throughout 2026, the guidebook will be created collaboratively with both experienced and new Wikimedians in Residence, including participants joining upcoming residency programmes at university libraries in Toruń and Wrocław. The goal is to create a practical resource that helps future residents navigate their roles more effectively while promoting shared standards and good practices across the GLAM-Wiki community.
- From the team
- Australia report
- Brazil report
- France report
- Italy report
- Mexico report
- Netherlands report
- New Zealand report
- North Macedonia report
- Poland report
- Serbia report
- Spain report
- Switzerland report
- UK report
- Biodiversity Heritage Library report
- Special story
- Memory of the World report
- Calendar