From 7 to 10 August 2024, an event of great importance to the international community of Wikipedia contributors took place in Katowice. Wikimania is an annual gathering of Wikipedians, held in different countries around the world.
Over 1,000 people from every continent gathered at the MCK in Katowice, joining remotely with participants who were unable to attend in person this time.
The National Museum in Kraków actively participated in the conference’s presentations and panels. During the panel on partner institutions of Wiki projects, the Director of the National Museum in Kraków, Prof. Andrzej Szczerski, took the floor. The session, chaired by Daria Cybulska (Wikimedia UK), was also attended by Alicja Knast, Director of the National Gallery in Prague, and Dr Agnieszka Turska-Kawa, Professor at the University of Silesia’s Institute of Political Science and Vice-Rector for Research at the University of Silesia.
In a discussion on the role of the public domain in developing and improving the quality of content in science and culture, important points were raised regarding the openness and participation of institutions. The need to share knowledge, including knowledge about culture, is a key issue – an area where a great deal is happening and where there is still much to be done. This makes the initiatives carried out as part of Wiki projects all the more satisfying, such as WikiMatejko, which was discussed in the following presentation by Joanna Szytuła (Department of Digitisation and Digital Resource Management, National Museum in Kraków) and Agata Stadnicka (Wiki resident at the National Museum in Kraków).
The visit of the MNK delegation to Wikimania was also an opportunity to learn about the perspectives of Wikipedians co-creating GLAM-Wiki projects in other countries across Europe and the world. We are impressed by the diversity of initiatives, interesting topics and ideas; the presentations we heard, the posters, the numerous information materials, and above all, those conversations! We won’t reveal any details just yet, but we can assure you that this is just the beginning of further projects, carried out in collaboration with Wikimedia Polska on Wikipedia and sister projects. We’ll stay in touch!
Illustration: Spodek, an event hall in Katowice, next to the Wikimania 2024 venue. Kasia Ostrowska (bazgra_nina) – Wikimedia Foundation – Logos of Wikimania 2024
