Exploring collections as data: a cross-cultural GLAM labs approach
About this project
Start date: August 2025
End date: April 2026
Funder: The project has been funded by the Gardens, Libraries and Museums (GLAM), University of Oxford, and Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz (SPK), Berlin as part of the Oxford Berlin partnership.
Project aims
‘Exploring collections as data: a cross-cultural GLAM labs approach’ is a collaborative project between the Centre for Digital Scholarship in the Bodleian Libraries and the Stabi Lab in the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin. We’re working to advance the publication of collections as data and the development of data services by investigating how and why diverse user groups use cultural heritage data.
As digital technologies and research methodologies become more diversified, demand for collections to be made accessible for computational use continues to grow. The rise of artificial intelligence has further intensified interest in large-scale datasets, while the historical nature of cultural heritage data presents challenges in providing access to sensitive or contested materials.
By collecting use cases from a broad spectrum of users in Oxford and Berlin, this project will evaluate needs and requirements to inform user-centred curation and dataset publication practices. Working across the Stabi Lab and the Centre for Digital Scholarship, it aims to develop best practices for making cultural heritage data more accessible and responsive to user needs.
How are we going to do this?
We’re building on an existing relationship from a collaborative workshop in Berlin (Jan 2025), and a conference workshop in Bremen (Jun 2025), to explore the uses of GLAM/SPK datasets.
The Collections as Data project (Padilla et al, 2019) has led libraries and other heritage organisations to consider or to create machine-readable datasets. But there are still questions about how and why people want to or do access these datasets, and what support they need to access them.
Both partners are investigating the research questions: are there data user needs we can identify and cater for when creating and publishing datasets online? What types of data are needed? How do people want to access these data? What do people want to do with these data? And how can sensitive or contested content be made available responsibly?
Stabi Lab already hosts datasets on its website, and as part of the SPK Lab, will provide access to museum datasets from the SPK’s Münzkabinett and Gemäldegalerie. The Bodleian has ambitions to make data available, and has access to library data, and museum data through the new Museum Data Service.
Through a hackathon in Berlin with students, creative industry professionals and developers, and one in Oxford with students, researchers and research software engineers, we will explore the research questions. A third event will showcase the outputs and creative uses of GLAM/SPK data to the two hackathon cohorts.
How can I get involved?
We held our first hackathon in Berlin on 7–8 October 2025 and our Oxford Hackathon is on 4–5 March 2026. Sign up for notifications for the Oxford hackathon.
If you are interested in collaborating with the team on future research projects on collections as data in library collections, please contact us at cds@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.
Partner organisations
Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin
Outputs or publications
Datasets and blog on Stabi Lab
Project team
Dr John Woitkowitz (PI), Head of Stabi Lab, Berlin State Library (SBB). Dr. Woitkowitz has extensive experience as PI and Co-I in BKM, digiS and ERC projects. As part of a DFG grant submission (under review), he conducted user interviews, developed use cases for data-driven research and curated datasets. Before joining the SBB, Dr. Woitkowitz obtained a PhD in History from the University of Calgary and held a research associateship at the University of Cambridge. He is a certified Full Stack Developer.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5604-1480
Dr Megan Gooch, Head of the Centre for Digital Scholarship, Bodleian Libraries. Megan has 20 years’ experience working in museums, heritage and libraries in curatorial, learning, research and leadership roles. Megan has been PI and Co-I on AHRC-funded research projects, and has experience and publications in the fields of audience research, museum studies, numismatics and digital scholarship. She is also the Director of the Digital Humanities @ Oxford Summer School.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3190-0509
Dr Roman Kuhn, Stabi Lab, Berlin State Library (SBB). Dr Roman Kuhn possesses extensive research experience both as PI and Co-I on various projects. As a former Newton International Fellow (British Academy), Junior Research Fellow at St Edmund Hall, and Research Fellow at the Voltaire Foundation, he has established strong connections within the Oxford research community. He holds a PhD in Comparative Literature from Freie Universität Berlin and has significant experience in organising research events and Digital Humanities workshops.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3081-3892
Ayla Karaman, Digital Scholarship Manager, Bodleian Libraries. Ayla Karaman has 10 years of professional experience working in GLAM institutions (Ashmolean Museum, British Museum & Bodleian Libraries) and has extensive experience working with physical and digitised GLAM collections. Currently Ayla is developing an events programme in the Centre for Digital Scholarship (Bodleian Libraries), with a focus on digital tools and methods used in research and collections. She holds a Masters degree in Public Archaeology from University College London.
https://orcid.org/0009-0005-0064-4855
