Google Arts and Culture (GA&C) is now a major portal through which users can experience artworks and cultural artifacts from over 2000 galleries, libraries, archives and museums (GLAM), from over 80 countries, worldwide. While the portal attracts large audiences, there has been next-to-no published research on the GLAM sector experience of GA&C. What is attractive about the platform to institutions? What benefits does it provide to the partner organisation? What was the experience of preparing and submitting material to GA&C? What issues are there regarding labour, permissions, copyright, and sustainability? What lasting effects will it have on the sector?
EuropeanaTech, the community of experts, developers, and researchers from the R&D sector within the greater Europeana Network Association, is undertaking a study regarding the GLAM sector’s experience of GA&C, and perceptions of GA&C. At this purpose it launched a anonymous survey addressed to all those working within the GLAM sector to provide their opinion freely. The survey should take about 20 minutes.
Results will be published into an academic article, in late Spring 2021, which will be made available via open access upon publication, hopefully later in the year. The article will be a follow up to the EuropeanaTech recently published paper “Digital cultural colonialism: measuring bias in aggregated digitized content held in Google Arts and Culture”.
Link to the survey: https://edinburgh.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/google-arts-and-culture-the-glam-sector-experience-survey ( there can be some issues using Chrome, but it works in other browsers).
Link to EuropeanaTech website: https://pro.europeana.eu/page/europeanatech