Three EU-funded initiatives showcased innovative strategies for GLAMs (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums) during the webinar titled “Sustainable Models for GLAMs-New ways of participatory management and sustainable financing of cultural institutions” on February 20, 2024. This event, highlighting the latest trends in participatory management and financing, put a special emphasis on the role of libraries within the cultural sector, particularly through the contributions of the LibrarIN project.
The webinar was a platform for GLAMMONS, ReCharge, and LibrarIN to share their unique visions and methodologies for enhancing participation in the cultural sphere. They delved into the importance of these methodologies, conducted needs assessments, and discussed capacity building, setting the stage for an enriching dialogue with attendees.
Here’s a glance at the agenda:
- The session kicked off with introductions by Hinano Spreafico from the European Commission and moderator Ares Kalandides from GLAMMONS.
- Vasilis Avdikos presented GLAMMONS’ approach towards creating resilient, sustainable, and participatory practices for the GLAMs community.
- Trilce Navarrete from RECHARGE discussed how European cultural heritage can act as a catalyst for growth and engagement.
- Highlighting the spotlight of the event, Luis Rubalcaba and Andrej Vrčon from LibrarIN elaborated on how libraries can foster value co-creation and social innovation, thereby ushering in a new era for European libraries.
The event further facilitated open discussions on various themes:
- A discussion led by Janet Merkel focused on exploring multiple financial channels for GLAMs.
- The topic of enhancing participation in cultural heritage was chaired by Maja Drabczyk, featuring insights from Una Hussey of The Hunt Museum, RECHARGE Living Labs, and Kelly Hazejager from Sound & Vision (Nederlands Instituut voor Beeld en Geluid), among others.
- A significant portion of the webinar was dedicated to showcasing libraries as dynamic living labs. This segment, chaired by Lars Fuglsang and Luis Rubalcaba of LibrarIN, underscored the pivotal role libraries play in community engagement and innovation.
- The event concluded with a wrap-up and closing remarks by Ares Kalandides.
You can watch the video here.