This survey aims to gather a broad understanding of the community’s needs regarding a potential centralized structure for GLAM-related activities within the Wikimedia Movement. Over the years, several efforts to establish a dedicated user group or similar entity have been initiated but not fully realized.
Rather than presenting a predefined solution, this survey focuses on why a centralized structure might be beneficial and what kinds of activities such an entity should take on. Given the number of affiliates and groups already engaged in GLAM work, it’s important to build a shared understanding of current needs and how a new structure could complement existing efforts.
The survey is structured around the following themes:
- What is GLAM in the Wikimedia Movement?
- What is your role in GLAM activities?
- What should a new GLAM affiliate focus on?
- What would be a suitable formal structure for GLAM activity?
Before you begin, please consider the perspective from which you are responding:
- As a representative of a Wikimedia affiliate
- As an individual community member
- Or on behalf of another organization
Your input will help shape a more inclusive and effective path forward for GLAM in the Wikimedia movement!
⌛ Some of the survey questions may require some time to answer, and you can prepare by familiarizing with the questions at the GLAM affiliate survey page before responding.
☕ If you need a break, you can save your answers and come back later.
⚖️ After the survey period has ended the GLOSS working group will analyze the results and propose a way forward. If you are interested, you are welcome to join the group!
💌 A report on the survey will be posted to Meta and This Month in GLAM. If you share your email address, you will be notified.
Survey questions
edit| Question, description, options | Type | * |
| Welcome to the survey | ||
|---|---|---|
| Contact email address
Optional. The results of the survey can be shared with you if you share your email address. |
Short free text | No |
| Choose the country where you are based
You can also choose "Other or prefer not to say" to add another territory or leave the question unanswered. |
List (dropdown) | No |
Select the perspective(s) from which you are responding
|
Checkbox | Yes |
| Choose your affiliate
It is important to understand the need and support for a distinct GLAM affiliate in the Wikimedia movement. We appreciate you sharing this information! If your affiliate is missing or you dont want to disclose, choose "Other or prefer not to say" and type the name in the field or leave the input field empty. |
List (dropdown) | Yes |
| What is your role in the affiliate? | Short free text | No |
| What is the name of your organization? | Short free text | Yes |
| What is your role in the organization? | Short free text | No |
| What is the mission of your organization?
Describe your interest in joining this discussion. |
Long free text | Yes |
| What is GLAM in the Wikimedia Movement? | ||
| Let's create word clouds about what and who GLAM Wiki is, and use them to identify the current core activities as well as emerging new practices! | ||
| Add activities that you consider GLAM Wiki, one per line. | Long free text | No |
| Who are the stakeholders of GLAM in the Wikimedia movement? List one per line. | Long free text | No |
| What is your role in GLAM activities? | ||
| What has been your journey in GLAM Wiki and where do you see the gaps? | ||
| What kind of GLAM Wiki activities have you worked on? | Long free text | No |
| What challenges have you faced in your GLAM Wiki work? | Long free text | No |
| What should a new GLAM affiliate focus on? | ||
| What needs could the new affiliate address? What tasks could fall under its scope?
Here’s a selection of tasks that often come up. Give each one a rating and feel free to add your thoughts in the comments. You can also write more in detail at the bottom of the page. | ||
List with comment options:
|
||
| GLAM outreach and advocacy Facilitate outreach about open sharing and Wikimedia platforms including communications via newsletters, articles and blogs. | List with comment | Yes |
| Community Coordinate global community activities, such as events and meetings, for example. | List with comment | Yes |
| Learning: Peer learning and resource sharing, support practitioners and professionals in the GLAM, culture and heritage sector. Training. | List with comment | Yes |
| Funds distribution: Advise or coordinate WMF funding distribution for GLAM programs. | List with comment | Yes |
| Production platform: Manage and fundraise for GLAM projects in the Wikimedia movement. | List with comment | Yes |
| Strategic planning: Build a GLAM Wiki strategy that defines GLAM Wiki, guides tech development, resource distribution etc. Innovation and co-creation. | List with comment | Yes |
| Tech development: Conduct or supervise tech development that creates tools for contributing materials and data to Wikimedia projects as well as linking and exchanging between open repositories in the internet. | List with comment | Yes |
| Contact point: Serve as a contact point for GLAM partnerships globally. Connect movement entities with one another. Mandate to represent GLAM Wiki. | List with comment | Yes |
| Public policy: Coordinate public policy advocacy for the adoption of better sharing practices globally. | List with comment | Yes |
| In your own words What else should be considered? | Long free text | No |
| What would be a suitable formal structure for GLAM activity? | ||
| Which Wikimedia structure makes most sense for the GLAM Wiki community and why? In your responses, you can address the evolution over time. | ||
List with comment options
|
||
| New Wikimedia User Group with focus on GLAM issues | List with comment | Yes |
| New thematic organization | List with comment | Yes |
| Existing affiliate(s) tasked with coordinating GLAM activities internationally. | List with comment | Yes |
| New consortium bringing together existing organizations, including external partners. | List with comment | Yes |
| Thematic Wikimedia Hub | List with comment | Yes |
| New foundation
A foundation like the Wiki Education Foundation. |
List with comment | Yes |
| New WMF-coordinated entity (eg. a committee) | List with comment | Yes |
| In your own words What else should be considered? | Long free text | No |
| Ecosystem | ||
| How would the new structure relate to entities within the Wikimedia movement and beyond? | ||
| What other Wikimedia structures should the GLAM Wiki group align with, and how?
For example affiliates, hubs, campaigns, regional GLAM networks, Wikiprojects, WMF teams? |
Long free text | No |
| How should the GLAM Wiki structure engage with actors outside the movement?
Including other global organizations of open culture, regional projects and organizations like AfLIA or Europeana, funders, governmental and intergovernmental organizations and programs etc. |
Long free text | No |
| Thank you message | ||
| After the survey period, a report on the survey will be posted to Meta, as well as This Month in GLAM. After the report, we will send out an email, and have a discussion at the next Global GLAM call. Thank you for participating! | ||
| Privacy notice | ||
| While the survey is anonymous, you can share your contact information if you wish to be informed of the results. The data is only maintained for the purposes of this study for the initiative to create a Wikimedia GLAM structure. | ||