GLAM/Newsletter/November 2025/Contents/Poland report
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GLAM Wiki 2025 conference, WiR Meeting and the First National Institute of Museums Training on GLAM–Wiki
Wikimedia Polska at the GLAM Wiki Conference 2025
From 30 October to 1 November 2025, Kamila Neuman (Open Culture Manager) and Jolanta Drzewakowska (Communications and PR Manager) represented Wikimedia Polska at the Wikimedia GLAM Wiki 2025 conference in Lisbon. The event was above all an opportunity for many meetings and conversations, which were especially valuable at a moment of summing up the past year (and recent years) and reflecting on future directions for GLAM–Wiki work.
Discussions during the conference helped us think about different models and approaches to GLAM–Wiki partnerships, including how to engage more institutions and expand the network of Wikimedians in Residence. Another important theme for us was connecting GLAM–Wiki with broader openness policies. In this context, initiatives such as GLAM e-Lab and TAROCH are particularly meaningful. Wikimedia Polska is already part of TAROCH and is very interested in the development of GLAM e-Lab, as such projects help cultural institutions – especially smaller ones – better understand their rights, open up their collections and overcome the initial entry barrier to working with open content.
Content Partnership Hub was also discussed with hope and interest, as a space that can support networking and specialist knowledge-sharing among people involved in GLAM–Wiki, especially in areas where there are still visible skill gaps.
Examples of projects presented at the conference – particularly those based on Wikidata, such as Media Art Archiving on Wikimedia Projects shown by Susanna Ånäs – clearly illustrated that we are still dealing with a significant knowledge gap across the movement. The complexity of such Wikidata-driven initiatives shows how diverse our levels of expertise remain. These case studies are inspiring reference points, but they also highlight the need to deepen our understanding and build our own competences so that we can implement similar projects in the future.
Overall, participating in Wikimedia GLAM Wiki conference was a highly valuable experience for Wikimedia Polska: it offered space for conversations and reflection, helped us summarise our current work and supported us in rethinking priorities and choosing new directions for GLAM–Wiki activities. The participation of Wikimedia Polska representatives was made possible thanks to funding financed by the National Institute of Freedom – Center for Civil Society Development as part of the government Programme for Civil Society Organisations Development for 2018–2030 CSODev.
Wikimedians in Residence meet in Piotrków Trybunalski
On 13–14 November 2024, Wikimedians in Residence in Poland met in Piotrków Trybunalski for an in-person working session organised by Wikimedia Polska. The meeting brought together Kamila Neuman (Open Culture Manager), Kasia Makowska (Open Science Manager), Wojciech Szczęsny (National Library of Poland), Grzegorz Gogacz (Mazovian Digital Library) and Agata Stadnicka (Czartoryski Library, National Museum in Kraków).
The gathering combined strategic reflection with hands-on collaboration. Kamila Neuman shared key insights from the GLAM Wiki 2024 conference in Lisbon, highlighting trends and inspirations shaping the future of the GLAM Wiki ecosystem. A significant part of the meeting focused on the work of Wojciech Szczęsny, who presented a set of automation tools and scripts he is developing to support the daily workflow of a Wikimedian in Residence. His tools help streamline editing, generate real-time summaries of contributions across Wikimedia projects, and simplify reporting processes — demonstrating how technical optimisation can meaningfully enhance WiR work. These solutions have strong potential for broader use within the international GLAM Wiki community.
Participants also engaged in a collaborative retrospective of the past year, discussing motivations, challenges, needs and personal perspectives for the future. This reflection allowed the group to articulate shared lessons learned and identify areas for growth.
As outcomes of the meeting, the group committed to implementing the many lessons drawn from 2025, planning improvements to strengthen and increase the visibility of WiR work in 2026, and preparing actions extending into 2026 to further support the programme’s development. One of the concrete plans is to resume regular online meetings focused on skill-building and knowledge exchange. We are also optimistic that the WiR group in Poland will continue to grow in the coming year and in the years ahead.
For the First Time in the National Institute of Museums’ Training Offer: A Workshop on GLAM–Wiki Collaboration
On 28 November, Wikimedia Polska, in cooperation with the National Institute of Museums, delivered an online training for museum professionals titled "Wikipedia and GLAM-Wiki Projects: How to Effectively Increase the Online Presence of Museum Collections". For the first time, the Institute’s annual training program included a session dedicated to cooperation between cultural institutions and the Wikimedia movement. The workshop was led by Kamila Neuman, Open Culture Manager at Wikimedia Polska.
The aim of the training was to introduce museums to the potential of Wikipedia and its sister projects for strengthening the online visibility of collections. Participants received an overview of how GLAM–Wiki collaboration works in practice and how institutions can meaningfully contribute to Wikimedia projects.
The session combined a short introductory part with a practical exercise. Each institution carried out a brief audit of its presence across Wikimedia projects — assessing how their museum is represented on Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons, and identifying areas for improvement. This helped participants understand both the current state of visibility and potential next steps.
Around 20 museums took part in the workshop, representing a wide range of institutions — regional museums, thematic museums, historical museums, as well as, for example, a theatre or a porcelain museum, as one of the examples. This diversity showed how GLAM–Wiki collaboration can support institutions of all sizes and profiles.
After the training, participants received a short checklist with links to essential introductory materials — including tutorials for creating an account, making first edits, and links related to GLAM-Wiki and Wikimedia Polska — to support their independent first steps.
Participants’ feedback was highly positive. As an additional bonus, Kamila offered each institution a one-hour online consultation to help plan concrete Wikimedia-related activities tailored to their needs.
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