What
A space to spark a global conversation.
Open GLAM is a space to help coordinate efforts to aggregate, advertise, connect, and support open access to cultural heritage initiatives and projects.
In this space, institutions and people dealing with cultural heritage work loosely together with the goal of enlarging the works in the public domain, grow the cultural commons, make cultural heritage available online without copyright restrictions, and help others implement open access policies to cultural heritage.
Open GLAM tries to bring some of the concepts and values of the “open” movement to the “GLAM” sector (Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums). OpenGLAM was born as an initiative around 2010, when the Open Knowledge Foundation received a grant from the European Commission as part of the DM2E (“Digitised Manuscripts to Europeana”). Since the beginning, several organizations and networks like Creative Commons and the Wikimedia Foundation and its chapters and affiliates were part of the conversation.
In 2018, members of Creative Commons, the Wikimedia Foundation and Open Knowledge started plans to revitalize the initiative. This was also accompanied by Open Knowledge’s decision to move away from the project to focus their work on open data. As part of that process, the openglam.org website was handed over to Creative Commons. Currently, Creative Commons is supporting the development of the website and the work around the Declaration on Open Access to Cultural Heritage.
However, this is not just a project or initiative of Creative Commons. The role of Creative Commons is to help steer a very relevant and timely conversation on the importance of Open Access to cultural heritage. People and institutions collaborate in this endeavour in very different ways. Learn more on how to get involved here.
The goal of this website is to find relevant information for and about the space. We hope that this initiative will help coordinate efforts to aggregate, advertise, connect, and support Open GLAM work going forward.