OpenGLAM stands for the efforts of the networks of professionals and advocates that promote free and open access to digital cultural heritage held by Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums.

The global OpenGLAM network was initiated by the Open Knowledge Foundation. Today, the network is additionally supported by Creative Commons and the Wikimedia Foundation.

Wikimedia volunteers and chapters run GLAM-Wiki collaborations with GLAM organisations and Creative Commons hosts the Open GLAM platform.

The OpenGLAM Declaration

In 2013, the OpenGLAM working group drafted a set of OpenGLAM Principles. In 2020, they will be revised.

We believe it’s time for the cultural sector to follow in the steps of Open Access in scientific publishing and Open Educational Resources and to publicly stand behind Open Access. Hundreds of cultural organizations and platforms, spearheaded by leading institutions like the Rijksmuseum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Europeana, have already embraced Open Access policies.

These topics are considered for the renewed principles:

  • Power Imbalances
  • Accessibility
  • From Decolonization to Indigitization 
  • Traditional Knowledge
  • Privacy and Sensitivity
  • Sustainability (Practical and Environmental)
  • Intangible Cultural Heritage
  • GLAM-Generated Intellectual Property

OpenGLAM / GLAMWiki activities around the world

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