DARIAH-CH/GLAM

The DARIAH-CH GLAM Working Group is a working group of the Swiss Digital Research Infrastructure for arts and humanities focusing on GLAMs. It aims to strengthen the cooperation between the heritage sector, the cultural sector, public administration, and the digital humanities in the area of data and data infrastructures.

Pillars

Improve DARIAH-CH/GLAM/Pillars

There has been a strong link between GLAM institutions and higher education institutions focused on arts and humanities. This link is becoming ever more important in the context of the digital transformation, which not only affects how work within the institutions is conducted, but also provides new opportunities and poses new challenges to the collaboration across institutional boundaries. Data related to heritage collections is of crucial value for research conducted by higher education institutions and/or GLAM institutions. And conversely, research (specifically in the arts and digital humanities) contributes to heritage collections and informs the practices surrounding them.

The DARIAH-CH GLAM Working Group (WG) therefore strives to foster this cross-sectional collaboration and to bring representatives from the different institutions together to implement joint projects, define common best practices and approaches and jointly address shared challenges.o do so, the DARIAH-CH GLAM WG invites all members of the relevant institutions to join the collaboration based on the following pillars:

1. Establish an open collaboration

The collaboration in the DARIAH-CH GLAM WG is designed to be open in various ways. First, participation is open to interested individuals and institutions from all sectors, and diversity is explicitly sought both in the WG itself as well as in the wider network. Second, the open sharing of documentation and data from all members is encouraged and provides an important basis for the collaboration. Third, the use of open, neutral, and ethical software is encouraged and supported among Working Group members.

2. Leverage synergies

Understand the needs, requirements and limitations of the different institutions and define common goals in light of these preconditions. This means for instance leveraging the potential that comes from new collaborations to increase the visibility, accessibility, but also joining forces when it comes to acquiring resources or addressing joint challenges.

3. Build shared knowledge, resources, and processes

In order to implement joint projects smoothly, ensure knowledge sharing and effectively use the existing synergies, some basic common infrastructure and understanding has to be established and succinctly used in the collaborations within the WG. This includes shared processes and documentation, communication channels, standards for data structure and quality as well as a joint vision and goals.

4. Focus on output

Whereas a joint understanding, shared goals and some basic structures are necessary for the collaboration to work smoothly, the WG aims at creating tangible outputs from the beginning. This is key not just for convincing members of the WG of its importance and potential to deliver tangible results, but is also crucial for acquiring funding and ensuring the economic sustainability of the WG’s efforts. Focusing on outputs also means that relevant metrics for progress are identified and there is a regular critical assessment of the latter.

5. Strive for sustainability

The work of the WG takes a broad perspective on sustainability and takes into account ecological, economic and social sustainability. It specifically aims at leveraging the opportunities that stem from cross-institutional collaboration to not only improve sustainability of each of the individual institutions, but also ensure that, in the interest of the common good, the jointly implemented projects are beneficial from a sustainability perspective.

Objectives

Improve DARIAH-CH/GLAM/Objectives

Support thematic projects that can facilitate a conversation between the GLAM institutions, including their respective networks, and scientific research areas with respect to opening data and carrying out joint projects.
Establish good collaboration relationships with public administrations of cantons with the aim to facilitate the GLAM institutions’ participation in joint projects with arts and humanities scientific research
Identify national and European multiplier entities and onboard them in the DARIAH-CH GLAM WG
Coordinate with related initiatives at the European level, especially thematic working groups, such as DARIAH, Europeana, Wikimedia, and others.

Objectives for 2025

Objective	Priority	Related pillar(s) - see DARIAH-CH GLAM Pillars DRAFT
GLAM and higher education institutions are represented in the Working Group in a balanced way	MUST	1 - Establish an open collaboration 2 - Leverage synergies
Key roles such as researchers, curators or data experts are represented among the active Working Group members	MUST	1 - Establish an open collaboration 2 - Leverage synergies
The basis for sharing of data, processes, resources and documentation among the Working Group members is established	MUST	1 - Establish an open collaboration 2 - Leverage synergies
Joint goals in terms of the different dimensions of sustainability are defined	MUST	5 - Strive for sustainability
The Working Group is active in finding and supporting and/or triggering thematic projects that support the collaboration between GLAM institutions and higher education institutions in arts and humanities.	MUST	4 - Focus on output
Knowledge sharing and skill building is enabled through regular sessions	COULD	2 - Leverage synergies 3 - Build shared knowledge, resources and processes

Lines of actions

Improve DARIAH-CH/GLAM/Actions

DARIAH-CH/GLAM/Actions

First DARIAH-CH GLAM preparatory workshop September 2024

GLAMHack Luzern

Read the report about the first preparatory workshop

Second DARIAH-CH GLAM preparatory workshop December 2024

Online

Read the aganda of the second preparatory workshop