By Andrea Allemann (OpenGLAM CH) and Debora Lopomo (WMCH)
GLAMhack 2021: cultural data successfully hacked – a look back
We look back on two intensive hackathon days and a diverse supporting programme. Gain an insight into the online event and the projects that emerged from it. The Swiss Open Cultural Data Hackathon, or GLAMhack for short, takes place once a year. It was first held in 2015. This year’s edition on 16 and 17 April 2021 was hosted by the ETH Library and organised as an online-only event in cooperation with the Swiss OpenGLAM Working Group. GLAM institutions – galleries, libraries, archives, museums – provided data sets that served as the basis for diverse and creative hackathon projects.
An online laboratory of creativity
The GLAMhack operates as a temporary creative laboratory. Participants from GLAM institutions and disciplines, such as application development, digital humanities, design or gaming, have just over 30 hours to present their ideas, set up project teams and develop solutions or prototypes, which are then shown to the audience by way of short presentations. Around 75 active hackers submitted 17 creative project ideas from a selection of around 30 challenges at the GLAMhack 2021.
In addition to the actual hackathon on 16 and 17 April 2021, participants and other individuals interested in GLAM were given an opportunity to take part in various side events.
Cinémathèque Suisse: New WikiProject Magic Latern Film Loops
With the support of WMCH, the Cinémathèque suisse launched in April 2021, a new WikiProject to share chromolithographic film loops from the Swiss Film Archive's collection. The cinematographic magic lantern are toys from the beginning of the 20th century, magic lanterns that brought to life brief moments of colored animations. Still mysterious, the technique is based on rotoscopy, that is to say that scenes were transferred on famous cinematographic subjects such as the serpentine dance. Afterwards, the subjects were printed on film by a chromolithographic process. The project encompasses the making of these digitized loops accessible on one hand and trying to identify them on the other hand. The nature of this project is a collaborative one. Several manufacturers are at the origin of these toys and the films and it is a real challange to gather the respective information, dating and better describing them. This project is at the beginning. If you like to contribute, participate or follow the progress, visit the project page.
50Y Swiss Women's Suffrage: Edit-a-thon at Historical Museum Lucerne
Edit-a-thon at the Historical Museum Lucerne on March 27, 2021 presenting the exhibition "Having a Voice". The Wikipedia atelier was accompanied by the collective «Who writes his_tory?» , with the support of Art + Feminism and the Historical Museum Lucerne . The workshop focused on articles regarding women's suffrage in Switzerland and influential women's biographies from the Canton of Lucerne.
From March 15 to 21, the Wikimedia DACH Chapter Germany (lead), Austria and Switzerland organized an action week to celebrate 20 years of Wikipedia and the founding of the German Wikipedia with its birthday on March 16, 2021. In the center of the online celebration with up to 130 participants was the opening of a dedicated exhibition to thank the voluntary community for their contribution, their efforts and engagement for Wikipedia and the Wikimedia projects over all these years. We have collected stories and memories from active Wikipedians and engaged a curatorial team to concept this online exhibition, which was presented to the audience during this celebration.
During the action week, we offered a vast program to all interested people who want to learn more about our work and our initiatives, meet the active community members and Wikipedia authors and the staff of each participating Chapter. Highlights were the GLAM online event we held on March 18, 2021 (refer to our presentation) and the WikiGAP workshop together with all the three Chapter and the Swedish Embassies of all the three countries on March 19, 2021.
