Proposal type: Formal Paper
Title: Archeowiki: when open source strategies incentive visitors presence in museum. A
project for the enhancement of archaeological heritage in Lombardia.
Coauthors/ e-mails addresses
1
Anna Antonini : annant58@yahoo.it
2
Dante Bartoli : dante.bartoli@gmail.com
1
Sara Chiesa : chiesa.sara85@gmail.com
2
Ester Ciccullo : ester.ciccullo@gmail.com
3
Cristian Consonni : cristian.consonni@wikimedia.it
1
Rossella Di Marco : dimarco.rossella@libero.it
1
Sara Franco : sarwilce@tin.it
4
Carolina Orsini : carolina.orsini@comune.milano.it
1
Raccolte Extraeuropee del Castello Sforzesco (Staff)
Gruppo Archeologico Ambrosiano
3
Wikimedia Italia
4
Raccolte Extraeuropee del Castello Sforzesco (Conservatore Responsabile)
2
Website address of the project: www.archeowiki.it
Open Source initiatives in cultural environment are emerging tools among educational and
cultural institutions. This practice, indeed, is largely used by galleries, libraries, archives and
museums in order to promote knowledge also implemented by a sharing process.
Despite some controversial positions (Lovink, Metitieri, Lanier), affirming the free-access will
lead to a detachment from the artwork, in 2008 the American Alliance of Museums identified this
process
as
“Creative
Renaissance”
(http://download.aaslh.org/AASLH-WebsiteResources/Museums+and+Society+2034.pdf) sparked by technological instrument and helpful
tools for on-line promotion of cultural contents, also redrawing the human centrality within
narrative and learning processes.
Today, reaching a various target of visitors means spreading contents through largely utilized
channels. Wikipedia is one of the most popular among them, also reflecting free circulation of
cultural contents and free information.
Involving people in this participative process means also to increase the number of real visitors
in museums. That idea stimulated the project “Archeowiki”.
The aim of this paper is to illustrate the project involving six museums in Lombardia, Wikimedia
Italia and some social and cultural associations (working with disabled people, aged people and
students), sponsored by a grant made available from Fondazione Cariplo.
An initial lack of archaeological contents on Wikipedia pages - due to absence of digitalarchaeological-experts able to contribute the archaeological sections and difficulties in finding
relevant and reliable information on these topics - motivated the realization of this project.
The project favoured the digitization of about a thousand of images and documents belonging to
museums involved in Archeowiki.
One of the action of project is the realization of “Wikigite” (WikiTrips). Wikigite consists of a
guided
tour
through
the
museums’
archaeological
collections
(http://wlm.wikimedia.it/wiki/WikiGite), followed by a workshop hold by an archaeologist and a
Wikipedia editor, with the aim of teaching to edit cultural contents on Wikipedia and, at the same
time, to upgrade the free contents previously digitized by museums part of the project. Wikigite
are currently ongoing, offering a didactical activity specifically designed for students, blind
people and aged people.
Wikipedia expert editors helped in creation of virtuous alphabetization process, by tutoring both
teachers and students on how to co-write pages in Wikipedia, in particular on cultural subjects.
Archeowiki is inspired to other projects with both a national and international scope such as
GLAM-Wiki, Wiki Loves Monuments and Share you knowledge, but it is an experimental action
in Lombardia, where the most innovative effect has been the positive reply and support of
Sorpintendenza Archeologica della Lombardia, that demonstrated the awareness of changes in
the cultural sector. Technological tools play a growing role in spread culture and educate
people, opening new scenarios and new ways of co-working as virtuous collaborations between
private and public institutions.
Moreover, Archeowiki offers to associations, museums and on-line users, the opportunity to
obtain an enhancement of the cultural heritage, offering visibility, fruition, education and know
how, by working together.
Wikipedia determines a higher and free visibility for public institution, those small and/or not well
known, that can intensify the number of interested people in archaeological collections.
Reference:
Costa S., Zanini E., Sharing knowledge in archaeology: looking forward the next decades in
Digital heritage in the new knowledge environment. Sharing spaces and open paths to cultural
content. Athens, 2009, pp. 69 - 72
Lanier, J. (2010). You Are Not a Gadget: A Manifesto. Alfred A. Knopf
Lovink, G.W. (2002). Dynamics of critical Internet culture (1994-2001). Melbourne: The
University of Melbourne
Metitieri, F. (2009). Il Grande Inganno del Web 2.0. Laterza