Open a Glam Lab

This book has been inspired by the International GLAM Labs Community, that was born in 2018 at the event on global 'Library Labs' held by the British Library. The event was attended by over 70 people from 43 institutions and 20 countries and followed up by a second global GLAM Labs meeting at the Royal Danish Library in Copenhagen in Spring 2019. The community has now grown to 250 people, from more than 60 institutions, in over 30 countries. Based on the huge interest and need for sharing knowledge about growing Labs at GLAM institutions, a Book Sprint was planned. It took place in September 2019. You are now looking at the results.

GLAM Labs have been the catalyst for significant structural change in the last decade and their ability to scale up or down as buffeted by winds of financial uncertainty has been an unlikely source of their resilience. This book is an essential read for cultural institution leaders looking to understand why their organisation might need a GLAM Lab, and also for those workers who are making the case for one. Each chapter clearly lays out the reasoning, benefits, challenges, and ways forward and the case studies are clear and compelling. I look forward to a further blossoming of Labs in our sector.

Seb Chan
Chief Experience Officer, ACMI, Melbourne