Presentation at the international gathering of cultural hackathon organizers, Berlin, 4 December 2017

1. Swiss Open Cultural Data Hackathon (#GLAMhack)
Beat Estermann, Berlin, 4 December 2017
▶ OpenGLAM CH // Bern University of Applied Sciences, E-Government Institute
Photo: Laurent Dubois, BCU Lausanne, CC BY-SA 4.0.

2. OpenGLAM
• Goals
• Principles

3. Let’s engage global audiences!
(go where the people are!)

4. Let’s improve the discoverability and
inter-connection of collections
Linking Open Data cloud diagram 2014,
by Max Schmachtenberg, Christian Bizer, Anja Jentzsch and Richard Cyganiak. http://lod-cloud.net/ CC BY-SA 3.0

5. Let’s create new possibilities for
participation by users / visitors
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Swiss National Library,
Simon Schmid, Fabian Scherler - CC-BY-SA

6. Let’s facilitate the re-use of heritage items
and the information about them

7. 1. Release digital information about the artefacts (metadata) into
the public domain using an appropriate legal tool such as the
Creative Commons Zero Waiver.
2. Keep digital representations of works for which copyright has
expired (public domain) in the public domain by not adding new
rights to them.
3. When publishing data make an explicit and robust statement of
your wishes and expectations with respect to reuse and repurposing
[…]
4. When publishing data use open file formats which are machine-
readable.
5. Opportunities to engage audiences in novel ways on the web
should be pursued.
Full version with examples: http://openglam.org/principles/
The 5 OpenGLAM Principles

8. Swiss Open Cultural Data Hackathon

9. Photo: M. Schwendener, CC BY-SA (Wikimedia Commons)
Swiss Open Cultural Data Hackathon 2016
Basel University Library

10. • Open up cultural data and content for reuse and make them
available at a central location
• Improve the visibility of Swiss heritage data and content at an
international level
• Promote the re-use of cultural data / content (with a special focus
on sustainability)
• Foster the exchange and cooperation among stakeholders from
various backgrounds
• Propagate the OpenGLAM principles within the Swiss heritage
sector
• Promote the public visibility of OpenGLAM
Goals of the Hackathon

11. 57
10
16
44
13
27
18 17
3
24
38
35
32
22
29
41
23
18
28
35
18
26
24 15
37
17
2
18
10
4
22
11
18
7
37
6 4
2
17
9 9
17
43
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
1 - Not effective at all
2
3
4
5 - Very effective
Effectiveness of the Hackathon (2016)
N varies for the different items
(indicated in brackets)

12. Date Place Event
Feb. 2015 Swiss National Library, Bern First Swiss Open Cultural Data
Hackathon
July 2016 Basel University Library Second Swiss Open Cultural Data
Hackathon
May 2017 Palais des Nations / conference
center, Geneva
Geneva Open Libraries, as part of the
Open Geneva Hackathons
June 2017 State Archives of the Canton of
Zurich
Zurich Archival Hackday
Sept. 2017 UNI Lausanne
(in cooperation with the
Cantonal and University Libary
Lausanne)
Third Swiss Open Cultural Data
Hackathon
2018/2019 tbd Joint hack event OpenGLAM CH /
Museomix CH
Oct. 2018 Swiss National Museum, Zurich Fourth Swiss Open Cultural Data
Hackathon
Cultural Hackathons in Switzerland

13. ▶ Pre-event(s), several months before the hackathon:
• Half-day information events for various target groups
• Local hack events of varying formats
▶ 2-day main hackathon (in 2017 preceded by an afternoon with workshops),
with two tracks:
• a hacking track, starting on Friday morning with the idea pitching
session and ending with the project presentation session on Saturday
evening; in between the groups organize themselves.
• a side programme, consisting of 1-hour workshops on various topics
▶ Joint event with Museomix = occasion to rethink the format:
• The Museomix approach is more structured and more focused on social-
engineering; it uses coaches to guide the groups through the work
process.
Structure of the Swiss Open Cultural Data Hackathons
(so far)

14. 53%
24%
12%
2%
4%
4% 2%
How many other hackathons had you attended before?
0
1
2
3
4-5
6-10
more than 10
Participants’ Previous Hackathon Experience
2016
N = 51

15. 43%
31%
26%
14%
24%
10%
8%
16%
10%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
data provider software
programmer
ideator designer researcher organizer artist Wikipedia
editor
other
In which role did you participate in the hackathon?
Participants’ Role(s) During the Hackathon
2016
N = 51
Several answers posssible

16. 20%
73%
8%
How many projects did you work on during the hackathon?
none
one
more than one
Involvement in Hackathon Projects
2016
N = 51

17. 39%
61%
Have you further pursued the project(s) you worked on during the
hackathon?
yes no
Activity around Hackathon Projects after the Event
2016
N = 41

18. ▶ Respect the public domain!
▶ We only advertise data/content that is open:
• CC-0 for metadata
• Various open licenses for content (e.g. CC-by or CC-by-sa)
▶ No explicit licensing restrictions regarding software; most participants use
open source licenses.
▶ As there is no competition, there is no need for «policing».
Licensing Policy

19. ▶ Broad range of projects at various maturity levels:
• app development
• data visualization
• data integration and enhancement
• installations
• performances
• offline games
▶ Tendencies / observations over the years:
• Decrease of the number of projects pursued during a hackathon; groups have
become bigger on average;
• Decrease of the variety of projects;
• Participants pursue the same or similar projects at different hackathons.
Hackathon Projects
longer term focus of projects
relative lack of creativity

20. 2015 2016 2017
Participants 107 (19% female) 105 (33% female) 98 (37% female)
Open Datasets /
Collections
(cumulative)
34 75 116
Data providers* 20 45 60
Teams / projects 24 15 11
Expenses 25’000 CHF 46’000 CHF 35’000 CHF
Sponsors 5 6 9
Implementation
partners
opendata.ch
infoclio.ch
Bern UAS
Swiss National Library
ETH Library
Wikimedia CH
Dock 18
OGD Project Switzerland
opendata.ch
infoclio.ch
Bern UAS
Basel University Library
Historical Museum Basel
opendata.ch
infoclio.ch
Bern UAS
Cantonal and University Library
Lausanne
University of Lausanne
Basel University Library
Key Figures (Main Hackathon)
* Most data providers are libraries or archives; museums are grossly underrepresented.

21. #GLAMhack – Perspectives
• Reach out to Museums
• Nov. 2018 at the Swiss National Museum in Zürich
• Focus not only on open data and apps, but also on museum
installations
• Increase public visibility and public engagement
• Encourage projects that involve user engagement / visitor experience
• Pursue hackathon projects beyond the two hackathon days
• Bring the artefacts to life by presenting them; e.g. at a Museums Night
• Consolidate the data catalogue
• Pursue the dialogue with the Swiss Federal Archives in view of the
improvement of the http://opendata.swiss platform
• Transfer the responsibility for the maintenance of catalogue entries to
GLAMs and/or portals
• Develop a consistent cataloguing practice in cooperation with GLAMs
• National Hackathon / Local Hackathons or Hackdays

22. OpenGLAM CH – Resource Situation
• Difficulties to Raise Sufficient Funds for #GLAMhack
• In terms of fundraising, 2017 was harder than the previous years.
• Some foundations will discontinue their funding next year.
• Organizations Contributing Staff Time
• Positive development within the OpenGLAM team
• Intended development in the functioning of the opendata.ch association
• New Funding Opportunities
• Friends of OpenGLAM Network
(not only to get regular funding, but also to involve people and institutions
and to give OpenGLAM CH a face!)
• One potential funding partner (requirement: cooperate with Museomix)
Triple Strategy
• Involve the GLAM sector and the community more strongly.
• Secure regular funding from diverse sources for a basic level of activity.
• Pursue bigger funding opportunities for extra activities and innovation.

23. Contact
OpenGLAM CH
Beat Estermann
beat.estermann@openglam.ch
031 848 34 38
Further information about the Swiss Open Cultural Data Hackathon:
https://glam.opendata.ch/hackathons/