GLAM Wiki 2025/Hackathon

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Welcome to the GLAM Wiki 2025 hackathon!

Friday, October 31, at Room 4. This is the first hackathon at a GLAM Wiki conference, and it will take the form of a marketplace of different activities. Whether you bring deep Wikimedia experience, cultural heritage know-how, an appetite for education, policy insights, technical skills, or creative energy, this hackathon is a space to learn, experiment, and build together.

See the schedule below and propose an activity you want to work with!

Instructions

1. Sign up for the event to let others know you are joining or just show up!
2. To sign up your project, first create an intro card for your hackathon activity.
   • You can create a project that you work on all day or just a period of time.
   • Your project can be an event with a time slot, for example a demo.
   • You can showcase any project you are working on in the open mic session.
   • You can also arrange a meetup in the meetup time slot.
3. Then add it also to the schedule below if it takes place at a specific time. Make sure to use the exact same name for the fact sheet and the schedule entry.
4. Pitch your idea to the participants in the room during the pitching session.
5. In the hackathon room, create a paper fact sheet of your project and place it in a paper stand. Bring it to where you are working.
6. Prepare a slide in the presentation slide deck and prepare to present at the end of the day in a 3-minute presentation.

Propose a hackathon activity!

Invite others to work with you on a mini project!

For example:

• Create a survey for GLAMs regarding how working with Wikimedia platforms and communities can help their work.
• Map out the Wikimedia technical ecosystem to identify developer resources across the movement.
• Organize a Pattypan-lovers meetup.
• Make a paper prototype for a GLAM Wiki app.
• Create a small toolkit (template + prototype dashboard + one automated report) that translates GLAM activity data into the kinds of metrics, narratives and resource requests WMF uses in annual planning.

Choose how you would like to work

It is not necessary to stay in the room all day. However, it is important that you commit yourself to some kind of outcome and a 2-minute presentation at the end of the day.

• A mini project led by you. Tell how people can contribute to the work and invite them to join.
• A scheduled session during working slots such as a discussion, AMA, tool demo.
• Set up an open project that people can contribute to on a rolling basis, come in and go out again, such as mapping a topic. Name the facilitator(s) that oversee the work and present the results.
• Step up as a mentor for a topic. Tell at what times you are available to help people with their projects and questions.

Hack projects

Add information about your hack project. Press "edit" above. Fill in the next empty cell with your information. Add more rows if you are using the last empty cell. To add more rows, click on the last table row and select "Add below" in the beginning of the row. Remember to save!

User test a new batch upload tool Albin Larsson / Abbe98 Help me test a new Wikimedia Commons batch upload tool, reach out to find a time slot that works for us both and then bring some files (maybe from a previous upload?). You won't need to install anything and the upload, and the uploads will be made to a private and temporary copy of Wikimedia Commons. This means that you do not need to worry about making mistakes or being impacted by bugs. Time: 30 minutes Duration: Drop in Team members: Abbe98 Project type User testing How to contact you See User:Abbe98	Mapping Needs and Capacities to Solve Technical Problems (or, The “Do Something” Caucus) Ben Vershbow / Subsublibrary + Sandra Fauconnier / Spinster In preparation for the Day 3 Strategy Session, let’s get organized on technical needs (what needs to be strengthened/fixed) and capacities (who has the ability/ambition to contribute to solutions). Specifically, we will do 2 main things: Synthesize existing needs assessment research (e.g. CSI study, Content Partnerships Hub surveys (1, 2) into a concise needs map and project management board. Create a mapping of contributors (organizations and individuals) with capacity/ambition to advance the technical state of GLAM-Wiki (and talk about some of the governance/resourcing challenges that prevent us from coming together effectively). These will be organized into shareable artifacts that can inform Strategy discussions the following day. Time: Drop-in friendly Duration: Afternoon till about 16.00hr Team members: Ben Vershbow, Sandra Fauconnier Project type Discussion / Mapping / Most pressing challenge How to contact you User:Subsublibrary User:Spinster @subsublibrary + @trnstlntk on Telegram	Wikisource reader app Bodhisattwa Wikisource reader app is a newly developed android mobile app for book readers, released on Google play store. We are bringing new features to it and resolving existing bugs. Test the app and tell us if you notice some bugs or if you love to see a new feature. Document them at our Phabricator workboard, so that we can work on them after we return back from the conference. If you are an app developer with proficiency in Kotlin and Python, feel free to code and submit PRs then and there at the hack space. You can also contribute by translating the app interface into your language, we are on Translatewiki. We can also demonstrate you how to include new books into the app, if you like. Time: Drop-in friendly Project page: Wikisource reader app Source code: https://github.com/cis-india/Wikisource-Reader Phabricator project tag: https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/tag/wikisource_reader_app/ Translate: https://translatewiki.net/wiki/Translating:Wikisource_Reader WSIndex Source code: https://codeberg.org/ph4ni/wsindex Phabricator project tag: https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/tag/tool-wsindex/ Documentation Website - https://cis-india.github.io/wikisource-reader-app/ Team members: Bodhisattwa (onsite), Saiphani02 (online, maybe) Project type Software / User testing / Demo How to contact you Bodhisattwa
Assisted Image Upload Mathias Schindler Single image uploads on Wikimedia Commons are nice, but could be better. I want to pre-populate some information before humans can refine the content. Source code at github.com released under CC-0. Time: Oct 31, 11 o'clock Duration: I have no idea how long this will take Project page: GitHub repo Team members: Mathias Schindler, feedback very much appreciated Project type Demo Related challenge mathias.schindler@gmail.com	Hack project name Your name / username Describe your hack project. Time: Start time Duration: Minutes / All day Project page: Add a page on Wikimedia projects or any URL. Team members: Add the names / usernames of all team members. Project type (eg. Software / Paper prototype / Discussion / Demo / Training / Q&A / Design project / Art project / Mapping / Mentoring / Meetup / Open mic) Related challenge How to contact you	Hack project name Your name / username Describe your hack project. Time: Start time Duration: Minutes / All day Project page: Add a page on Wikimedia projects or any URL. Team members: Add the names / usernames of all team members. Project type (eg. Software / Paper prototype / Discussion / Demo / Training / Q&A / Design project / Art project / Mapping / Mentoring / Meetup / Open mic) Related challenge How to contact you
Hack project name Your name / username Describe your hack project. Time: Start time Duration: Minutes / All day Project page: Add a page on Wikimedia projects or any URL. Team members: Add the names / usernames of all team members. Project type (eg. Software / Paper prototype / Discussion / Demo / Training / Q&A / Design project / Art project / Mapping / Mentoring / Meetup / Open mic) Related challenge How to contact you	Hack project name Your name / username Describe your hack project. Time: Start time Duration: Minutes / All day Project page: Add a page on Wikimedia projects or any URL. Team members: Add the names / usernames of all team members. Project type (eg. Software / Paper prototype / Discussion / Demo / Training / Q&A / Design project / Art project / Mapping / Mentoring / Meetup / Open mic) Related challenge How to contact you	Hack project name Your name / username Describe your hack project. Time: Start time Duration: Minutes / All day Project page: Add a page on Wikimedia projects or any URL. Team members: Add the names / usernames of all team members. Project type (eg. Software / Paper prototype / Discussion / Demo / Training / Q&A / Design project / Art project / Mapping / Mentoring / Meetup / Open mic) Related challenge How to contact you

Schedule

	Hackathon	Other program
10:30	Welcome, quick intro
10:45	Introducing mentors Step up as mentor	Lightning talks	Creative session
11:00	Introducing the challenges Top 10 Menu of challenges
11:15	Pitching the ideas Propose a hackathon activity!
11:30
11:45	Instructions for presenting
12:00	Add your scheduled project here		Lunch
12:15	Add your scheduled project here
12:30	Add your scheduled project here
12:45	Meetups Add your meetup here	Meetups
13:00
13:15
13:30		Group photo
13:45	Add your scheduled project here	Keynote
14:00	Add your scheduled project here
14:15	Add your scheduled project here
14:30	Check-in, introduction	Lightning talks	Training
14:45	Add your scheduled project here
15:00	Add your scheduled project here
15:15	Add your scheduled project here
15:30	Add your scheduled project here		Workshop
15:45	Open mic Add your 5-minute presentation	Break
16:00
16:15	Add your scheduled project here
16:30	Check-in, introduction	Lightning talks	Workshop
16:45	Add your scheduled project here
17:00	Add your scheduled project here
17:15	Add your scheduled project here
17:30	Add your scheduled project here
17:45	GLAM Hack Presentation
18:00

Top 10 menu of challenges

You can address some of the persistent challenges of GLAM Wiki, and make a fruitful contribution to further development. To help creating the list, we let AI look into the numerous needs assessments that the GLAM community has made and created a top 10 menu of challenges.

1. Unreliable and Unsustained Tools

Many core tools — Pattypan, BaGLAMa2, ISA Tool, OpenRefine — are outdated, fragile, or unsupported. When they fail, workflows halt.

→ Impact: Uploads, tracking, and data management stop unexpectedly; partners lose trust and momentum in Wikimedia as a technical platform.

2. Lack of Developer Capacity and Technical Strategy

Too few maintainers and almost no funded developer positions. No shared roadmap or governance for GLAM-related tool infrastructure.

→ Impact: Persistent technical debt, slow bug fixes, and loss of institutional memory; innovation depends on volunteers rather than stable teams.

3. Complex and Fragmented Upload Workflows

Uploading files and metadata involves multiple unconnected tools and manual steps. Mobile and rich-media uploads remain unreliable.

→ Impact: High entry barrier for newcomers, duplicated effort across affiliates, and fewer institutions able to contribute at scale.

4. Metadata and Interoperability Problems

Mapping institutional data to Commons categories or Wikidata properties is manual and inconsistent. Structured Data on Commons and APIs are limited.

→ Impact: Poor discoverability and reuse of cultural content; lost opportunities for data linking and long-term preservation.

5. Poor Documentation and Training Resources

Guides for tools like OpenRefine or Upload Wizard are incomplete or only in English. Few localized tutorials or courses exist.

→ Impact: Slower onboarding, reliance on a small expert group, and low institutional confidence in adopting Wikimedia workflows.

6. Insufficient Metrics and Impact Visibility

Analytics tools such as BaGLAMa2 are unreliable or discontinued. Partners can’t easily demonstrate reach or usage of their content.

→ Impact: Hard to justify funding or continued participation; weak evidence base for GLAM-Wiki’s societal value.

7. Low Institutional and Human Capacity

Many GLAMs lack technical staff, funding, or time to learn and maintain Wikimedia tools. Projects depend on short-term contracts or volunteers.

→ Impact: Inconsistent project continuity, limited scaling, and burnout among Wikimedians-in-Residence and coordinators.

8. Workflow and Tool Usability Barriers

Interfaces differ between Commons, Wikidata, and Wikisource; many tools are not intuitive or mobile-friendly.

→ Impact: Reduced participation from smaller institutions and communities; difficulty training non-technical staff.

9. Legal and Administrative Bottlenecks

Licensing, copyright, and authorization workflows are poorly supported by current tools. Institutional uploads require manual review.

→ Impact: Legal uncertainty delays or prevents sharing; institutions remain cautious or avoid participation altogether.

10. Community and Coordination Gaps

Information about tools, standards, and troubleshooting is scattered; GLAM perspectives are under-represented in technical decision-making.

→ Impact: Fragmentation, duplicated work, and missed opportunities for cross-institutional learning and collaboration.

The resources used

• Content Partnerships Hub/Needs assessment/Research results
• c:File:GLOSS Working Group Needs Assessment Survey Results.pdf
• GLAM CSI report 2024.pdf

Sign up

Sign up for the hackathon and share your most pressing challenge with the Wikimedia contribution ecosystem.

Add your signature	What's your most pressing challenge?
Pru Mitchell 12:18, 15 September 2025 (UTC)	Capacity building for Australian GLAM partners and community members in tools for contributing to Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons.
Beireke1 (talk) 12:58, 15 September 2025 (UTC)	Finding ways forward to make the processes of GLAMs contributing to Wikimedia projects and following up the impact as smooth as possible .
Fuzheado (talk) 14:59, 18 September 2025 (UTC)	Open up WikiCommons Query Service so it can be used for toolmaking and scripts (or give a roadmap or timetable for when it might be opened up)
Osama Eid --— Osama Eid (talk) 17:09, 9 October 2025 (UTC)	Enhancing the GLAM-Wiki ecosystem by connecting and visualizing the provenance of artworks and artifacts in Wikidata, enabling contributors to track history, ownership, and movement for greater transparency and cultural insight.
Spinster (talk) 08:20, 18 October 2025 (UTC)	Project management of our community's challenges. Making the challenges visible and actionable. Assign responsibilities. Make sure there is oversight of actions taken and of progress made.