WikiSym + OpenSym 2013 GLAM Day

Open Cultural Data – What does it mean?

What does open data mean for the cultural heritage field? The attention and interest that open data is garnering has led to a number of questions by cultural organisations: what are the benefits and challenges for both institutions and society of open cultural data? This session will introduce the concepts of open cultural data, the process behind sharing data and content, the legal and technical implications, and inspiring case studies from around the world.

Speaker: Daniel Dietrich, Chairman, German Chapter of the Open Knowledge Foundation, Berlin. Dietrich's work focuses on empowerment through Open Knowledge and on strategies to build sustainable common based societies in the digital age. He is author of several studies on the political, technical and legal aspects of open data, open government and transparency. From 2011 to 2013 he worked as editor of the European Commission funded platform on public sector information, the ePSIplatform.eu.

Hong Kong/Asia Focus

How can Hong Kong’s network of public and private GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums) become more connected and create new services, applications and attract new users? Can the digital convergence of previously independent and non-connected memory institutions increase the social value of cultural content and data?

Moderated discussion with short contributions from different organisations

Creating an Open Data Community within the GLAM Sector

Opening up cultural content and data is challenging for most institutions given the complexity of legal, technical and economic issues. Many cultural organisations don’t have the resources to develop initiatives with require technical skills and In the session, we will hear about experiences of cultural institutions with new collaborative technologies and initiatives, such as “Wikipedians in Residence”, “citizen-driven archives” and others.

Panel with 4-5 speakers: Daniel Mietchen, Wikipedian in Residence

Audience: The GLAM track at OpenSym shall bring together professionals in the cultural/educational/arts community interested in creating new opportunities through open access, open data and shared collaborative virtual spaces. It shall also attract organisations and individuals working on new technologies and service models in the cultural/creative sector.