GLAM Wiki 2023/FAQ

GLAM WikiConference
Montevideo, Uruguay
16–18 November, 2023

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FAQ

About the Conference

What's the meaning of the term "GLAM" and what does it include?

GLAM is an acronym for Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums. It was adopted in the early 2010s by the Wikimedia movement to describe the activities carried out with cultural heritage institutions. However, as the work of the communities has evolved to include other cultural expressions and knowledge activities outside institutions (such as the Wiki Loves Folklore campaign, among many other examples), the term might not fully represent the scope of the work that people are currently doing around heritage & culture. Whether this term represents our work is an important conversation to be held at the GLAM Wiki Conference: The Heritage, Culture & Wikimedia Conference!

If you are interested in reading more about the history of GLAM Wiki, we recommend this paper.

Who is this Conference for?

We expect to bring together professionals from heritage institutions (including cultural & scientific heritage institutions) that are working on releasing collections openly, open practitioners & open allies (i.e, Creative Commons adovcates), Wikimedia volunteers working with cultural heritage (be it with an institution or outside of it, i.e., organizing Wiki Loves Folklore, Art+Feminism, etc.), and overall, anyone interested in the intersection between heritage, Wikimedia & the open movement.

What are the goals of the Conference?

Based on the responses of over +250 participants on the Conference Engagement Survey collected as part of our grant application, we have identified for main goals for the Conference:

• Identify strategic priorities for the GLAM Wiki communities that promote knowledge equity, diversity and inclusion.
• Exchange and build capacity around GLAM Wiki tools, outreach and collaborations.
• Reflect, discuss and think of new roadmaps for our existing tools and platforms.
• Reconnect after the pandemic, network and discuss the future of GLAM Wiki.

In which languages will the Conference be held?

The main language of the Conference will be English, but we will be providing simultaneous interpretation to Spanish & Portuguese in at least two rooms. This means that if you speak Spanish and/or Portuguese and you want to give a talk in Spanish and/or Portuguese, you will be able to do so. There will be interpretation provided to English.

Can I host a satellite event?

Yes, you are more than welcome to. However, we currently don't have any funding available for satellite events.

About the program

I want to submit a program proposal. How can I do it?

• In order to submit a proposal, you have to use this form.
• The form has two sections. In the first section we ask you some basic questions about your relationship to the Conference, what is the language of your choice, among other things. In the second section we ask you specific questions about your program proposal.
• You can find the specific questions we ask on the program submission questions.
• Once you have submitted the form, you will see a message telling you that you have reached to the end of the survey.
• You won't receive a confirmation email. However, if you want to check if your submission was received, you can always write at infowikimedistasuy.

About the scholarship

I want to apply for a scholarship. What's the process?

• Scholarship applications are open from June 6 to June 30, end of day anywhere on Earth.
• You have to apply through the following submission form.
• The form has 5 sections, with a total of 26 questions. Most of the questions are single choice or multiple choice answers.
• You can find in the following link the scholarship application questions.

Who can apply for a scholarship?

We encourage anyone with an interest in the topics of the Conference (the intersection between cultural & scientific heritage and Wikimedia communities) to apply. Examples of people that can apply include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Students, professionals and researchers working on digital humanities projects that work in some capacity with the Wikimedia ecosystem (be it through the use of Wikimedia platforms or through a collaboration with Wikimedia communities).
• Wikimedia campaign organizers on topics related to the conference (i.e., Wiki Loves Folklore, Wiki Loves Monuments, Wiki Loves Earth, Art+Feminism, Wiki Loves Africa, among other such campaigns).
• Professionals and volunteers from under-resourced cultural & scientific heritage institutions that are working on the topics of the conference.
• People from underrepresented & marginalized cultural communities working on the topics of the conference.
• Wikimedia volunteers or staff that are working on collaborations and/or projects with heritage institutions and/or with cultural communities.
• Professionals and researchers working on open access to knowledge more broadly, particularly in the realm of heritage institutions.
• Any other person that can help us have a diverse and interesting conversation about the future of Culture & Heritage in the broader Wikimedia movement.

What type of scholarships are available?

You can apply for two types of scholarship, a full scholarship and a partial scholarship.

Full scholarship covers:

• Flights
• Accommodation
• Registration
• Meals at the event
• Limited medical insurance
• Online visa cost to Uruguay

Partial scholarship covers:

• Accommodation
• Registration
• Meals at the event
• Limited medical insurance
• Online visa cost

We won't be offering any scholarships for online participation.

Will Wikimedistas de Uruguay be providing visa support?

Yes, we intend to provide visa support for those needing a visa to travel to Uruguay. However, bear in mind that we might only be able to provide support for visas to Uruguay. If you need an in-transit visa to the Schengen space (Europe), the United States or any other country that requires you to have an in-transit visa, we are unable to offer you full visa support. We will do our best to avoid flights that require in-transit visa.

Do I have to present a program proposal to apply for a scholarship?

NO. Our grading criteria does not prioritize people that have submitted a program proposal, but rather what you can bring to the conversation in a broad sense.

Can I apply to the scholarship in my own language?

We appreciate the multilingualism that currently exists in Wikimedia communities. However, for this process, we kindly ask you to submit your scholarship application in English, since we don't have time or capacity to translate every application into English. If English is not your first language, you can always use an online translator service to translate your application from your native language to English.

Beware that the Conference will be held mainly in English, with simultaneous interpretation only to Spanish and Portuguese.

How the Scholarship Committee will grade scholarship applications?

The members of the Scholarship Committee will grade applications on a scale from 1 to 5 (with 1 being very low and 5 being very high) based on the following questions:

To what extent:

1. Does the applicant provide good examples of involvement with the open or Wikimedia movement in relation to heritage (cultural or scientific)?
2. Does the applicant demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the conversations that will take place at the GLAM Wiki Conference?
3. Does the applicant bring new perspectives or experiences, or contribute significantly to the diversity of the GLAM Wiki Conference?
4. Does the applicant bring significant skills that will contribute to the larger GLAM Wiki Conference?
5. Does the applicant contribute significantly to a transformational change (whether in their community or in larger debates) on the future of GLAM Wiki collaborations?

Make sure that you have this criteria in mind when replying to the questions on the form.

Aside from that, remember that any scholarship applicant has to be in good standing with the Friendly Space Policy and the Universal Code of Conduct. Applicants will be screened for any violations to the UCoC or other global bans that might prevent them from participating in any Wikimedia event.

How many scholarships are available?

Unfortunately, we don't have a lot of scholarships available. We are estimating that will be able to provide between 40-50 scholarships with the current funding available.

Is there a regional criteria for scholarships?

This is our current regional distribution for scholarships:

• 50% of scholarships to Latin America (≈25 people);
• 25% to Africa (including the MENA region) (≈13 ppl);
• 15% to Asia (including Australia & Oceania) (≈6 ppl);
• Remaining 10% of the scholarships to Europe (including CEE) and North America (≈5 ppl)

Other questions or inquiries

I have a question that is not answered here. Who can I reach out to?

If you have a question that is not answered here, please reach out to infowikimedistasuy and we will reply you between 36-48 business hours.