And to add to the "why's", my interview with the Library of Congress finally came out today (two months in coming!) While it's rather long (the LOC encouraged it to be, which was weird for me as a blogger) -- it does include a good many details and shout outs to our various projects, though admittedly focusing on GLAM-Wiki US. QRpedia gets a nod of course, for instance, as well as the OCLC cooperation and the work going on in Bulgaria.

There is a portion in which I explicitly explain the why:

JB: There are a number of trends, such as open-access scholarly communication, linked-open data (LOD-LAM), and the “commons” approach to sharing digital assets, in which Wikipedia can and does play a central role. How have you seen — or how do you foresee — GLAMs making use of Wikipedia to engage with the public, improve their collections, and contribute their unique knowledge and materials to a wider audience.

LP: It has been interesting to follow along as trends in open-access have become increasingly relevant in cultural institutions, over the past few years especially.  It’s finally starting to be more of an expectation rather than the exception. For years Wikipedia has been the quintessential example of open, freely available knowledge sharing, but only recently have cultural institutions started to seriously consider Wikipedia as a platform for sharing content.

Wikipedia is absolutely an ideal tool for all that you suggest: it allows for cost-efficient distribution of a collection’s images and metadata on a global scale, addressing the mission-driven need for broad access to cultural heritage;  it provides a means for cultural professionals to contribute their expertise by vetting articles and sharing resources that have been buried in filing cabinets;  and, when cultural organizations engage behind the scenes with the vibrant Wikipedia community, it can serve as a platform for the facilitation of dialogue between various points of view.  On top of this, Wikipedia’s multilingual infrastructure has huge potential for broadening accessibility to our audiences. There is so much potential for cultural organizations to utilize Wikipedia to address many facets of their mission, often it just takes pointing it out.

Full post here > http://blogs.loc.gov/digitalpreservation/2012/04/galleries-libraries-archives-museums-with-wikipedia-glam-wiki-insights-interview-with-lori-phillip/

Thanks all,
Lori

On Fri, Apr 20, 2012 at 6:42 AM, Lennart Guldbrandsson <l_guldbrandsson@hotmail.com> wrote:
Good thread, everyone.

Liam did a presentation about two years ago in Stockholm, where he said (page 6): "We're doing the same thing, for the same reason, for the same people, in the same medium. Let's do it together."

I think that is still the best short explanation that I have seen.

Also, as many of you know, I am working on a handbook (that I would like to present at Wikimania, http://wikimania2012.wikimedia.org/wiki/Submissions/The_GLAM_handbook), where this kind of why discussions fit in very nicely.

By the way, have any of you seen http://opendatahandbook.org/en/ which has a section on "why"?



Best wishes,

Lennart


Lennart Guldbrandsson,
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From: lodewijk@effeietsanders.org
Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2012 12:14:11 +0200

To: cultural-partners@wikimedia.ch
Subject: Re: [cultural-partners] Why I/my GLAM should donate content to Wikipedia/Commons?

Hi all, 

Thanks for the helpful input (esp. Abbas' list looks good)! I realize that we have explained these reasons many times - and I think it would be really great if you could help by writing a short overview page with these arguments that can be directly copypasted etc. 

Lodewijk

El 17 de abril de 2012 11:58, Iolanda Pensa <iolanda@pensa.it> escribió:
great list.
I would like to add that for us it was very important in contacting GLAMs to ask the very simple question "why not?".
if you turn around this way the question, many institutions suddenly understand that they don't loose anything in doing it but they gain a lot.
iolanda

Il giorno 16/apr/2012, alle ore 18:05, Abbas Mahmood ha scritto:

Why should a cultural institution donate/partner with Wikimedia:


 It fits in closely with the core mission of the cultural institution of preserving heritage and history.

 It step jumps the  GLAM institution’s reach by increasing potential audiences.

 Footfalls to the GLAM institution are likely to increase through greater awareness of the institute’s collection and knowledge.

 It will provide a well-tested platform for the digitisation efforts of the GLAM institution. Staff will find it satisfying given its global reach and impact.

 There is a strong likelihood of higher public relations coverage of the GLAM institute because of the Wikipedia’s goodwill. 

Hope that helps
--Abbas.


From: lodewijk@effeietsanders.org
Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2012 17:56:04 +0200
To: cultural-partners@wikimedia.ch
Subject: Re: [cultural-partners] Why I/my GLAM should donate content to Wikipedia/Commons?

Hey Andrea,

I tried to find it too, but I'm sorry - I cannot locate it easily, which is indeed disappointing. You would expect it to show up easily. I found the question in a Q&A on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:GLAM_getting_started but the answer is not about the question at all - it is simply caveats and how-to. Also I expected it on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:GLAM/US/Contribute  but it mainly focuses on the How rather than the Why. 

There *is* a short answer on http://outreach.wikimedia.org/wiki/FAQ_For_Librarians ,  http://outreach.wikimedia.org/wiki/GLAM/Get_started (both found through google, not through our own websites) but it doesnt go much beyong 'we're cool, believe in the same mission and have a huge reach'. 

Anyway, I'm pretty sure it did get documented well somewhere, just not at the places I'd expect it apparently :) 

Lodewijk

El 14 de abril de 2012 13:15, Andrea Zanni <zanni.andrea84@gmail.com> escribió:
Dear all, 
a quick and silly question. 
Is there somewhere a smart answer to the question "Why I/my GLAM should donate content to Wikipedia/Commons?"
I'm searching it in outreach wiki, not finding anything suitable. 
Thanks, anyway

Aubrey


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--
Lori Phillips
Web Content Specialist | Wikipedian in Residence
The Children's Museum of Indianapolis

US Cultural Partnerships Coordinator
Wikimedia Foundation

703.489.6036 | http://loribyrdphillips.com/