GLAM IIT Delhi

GLAM IIT Delhi is a collaborative project between the Central library of IIT Delhi with the Wikimedia Community, which is dedicated to improving coverage of topics related to the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) — a premier institution of higher education and research in India.

GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums) is a global collaborative project that helps such institutions share their knowledge, expertise, and collections with the world through Wikimedia projects. IIT Delhi hosts a wealth of knowledge assets across its library, institutional archives, publications, and historical collections, all of which are valuable to the global free knowledge ecosystem.

This initiative is supported by GLAM India, which aims to strengthen the representation, accessibility, and sustainability of Indian cultural heritage on Wikimedia projects.

Objective

This project's primary goals include:

Uploading and curating open-licensed institutional content such as digitized annual reports, convocation brochures, historical photos, and research publications.
Creating and improving articles about IIT Delhi's academic departments, research centres, notable faculty, alumni, events, and achievements.
Documenting IIT Delhi's role in India's scientific, technical, and educational history.
Sharing IIT Delhi's multimedia content (photos, lectures, etc.) on Wikimedia Commons for global reuse.
Promoting visibility of institutional knowledge through multilingual outreach.

History

This initiative was launched in 2025 through outreach by Wikimedians Alnitak-Alnilam-Mintaka and Raydann in collaboration with the Central Library of IIT Delhi, following interest in leveraging Wikimedia projects for public access and knowledge preservation.

Scope

The project aligns with IIT Delhi's mission of advancing learning and research, as well as its commitment to open access. By participating, IIT Delhi joins a global movement of institutions including the Smithsonian Institution, British Library, and the University of Edinburgh, all of whom have successfully released content on Wikimedia platforms.

The project works with designated Wikipedians in Residence who will:

Support copyright clearance and content licensing
Assist with uploading, categorization, and metadata
Train library or archive staff in Wikimedia workflows
Coordinate online and on-site edit-a-thons
Serve as liaison between IIT Delhi and Wikimedia communities

The project will benefit IITD in the following ways:

Global Visibility: Shared materials are accessible on Wikipedia (over 1.7 billion monthly users), Commons, and Wikidata.
Digital Preservation: Uploaded content is mirrored across Wikimedia servers globally, ensuring long-term accessibility.
Community Engagement: Volunteers and researchers can enrich metadata, contribute translations, and increase citations.
Educational Impact: Students, educators, and lifelong learners globally can access IIT Delhi's legacy resources.

Other opportunities for collaboration include:

Content digitization and metadata enhancement
Edit-a-thons to improve IIT-related articles
Thematic outreach on research contributions, historical milestones, and academic excellence
Public lectures and exhibitions based on digitized archives
Multilingual initiatives to translate content into Indian languages

How to participate

Anyone can contribute to GLAM IIT Delhi through Wikimedia projects. Ways to participate include:

Editing and Writing: Create or improve Wikipedia articles on topics related to IIT Delhi. New editors can start at Wikipedia:Getting started or use the Teahouse for guidance.
Uploading Media: Add relevant images, diagrams, and videos to Wikimedia Commons. See Commons:Welcome for how to upload and license media.
Translation: Translate existing articles into other languages to spread knowledge globally.
Discussion and Coordination: Join the project talk page and relevant WikiProject forums to share ideas. Help develop glossaries, reference lists, and project plans collaboratively.
Outreach and Organization: Organize or join editathons, workshops, or contests; use Meta resources like the Outreach Dashboard to report events. Publicize GLAM IIT Delhi's activities on social media and at educational events.
General Contribution: Every kind of contribution helps. Adding citations, fixing typos, or categorizing pages are as valuable.

Contact

If you are a faculty member, librarian, archivist, student, or staff member at IIT Delhi and would like to contribute or collaborate, please contact:

Alnitak-Alnilam-Mintaka, Wikimedian-in-Residence, Central Library, IIT Delhi
Raydann, Wikimedian-in-Residence, Central Library, IIT Delhi

Completed tasks

To see the full list of completed tasks and contributions to this initiative, please check GLAM IIT Delhi/contributions.

External links

Website of Central Library, IIT Delhi