Category Archives: This and that

Sharing is Caring 2017: Digitisation and Social Impact?

The fifth Sharing is Caring conference was held in Aarhus  during the city’s tenure as European Capital of Culture. During the Conference the participants has the opportunity to visit the new public library Dokk1, the manor museum Gammel Estrup and the contemporary art museum Museum Jorn. As the main conference  lasted two days the venues included the historical Helsingør Theatre in The Old Town and ARoS Aarhus Art Museum.

About the programme 
The digitisation of cultural heritage collections has been going on for several decades now, promising unprecedented potentials for the GLAM sector to fulfil its public mission of opening up knowledge and culture to the participation and enjoyment of all citizens. The big question is, how can the GLAM sector demonstrate that we are achieving this ambition through the digitally powered public engagement efforts we have been developing on the base of digitisation? Increasingly, politicians and funders are demanding numbers to show that the tax or private money spent on culture have tangible societal impact. How have people’s opportunities to learn, create and contribute to their culture and society improved after we started providing access to digitised collections? Is it even possible to produce hard evidence of such improvements? A wide range of excellent speakers and ignites gave their input on how they use digital heritage in their work with public engagement.

Check out pictures from the conference.

Read a blog about Sharing is Caring Aarhus 2017 by delegates from Hamburg University (in German)

OPEN CALL for ignites

What’s the impact of digitisation?

The digitisation of cultural heritage collections has been going on for several decades now, promising unprecedented potentials for the GLAM sector to fulfil its public mission of opening up knowledge and culture to the participation and enjoyment of all citizens. The big question is, how do we demonstrate that we actually achieve this ambition through our digitally powered work?

Are YOU one of our ignite speakers?

We a looking for engaging and entertaining ignite talks that present best practices or new approaches to this years theme Digitisation and Social Impact. Each ignite speaker has 5 minutes to present 20 slides. Each slide is displayed for 15 seconds before the presentation automatically advances. All ignite talks must be given in English, and they must ignite the audience. So be brave, be bold, be awesome!

Don’t know the format? Be inspired here!

How to enter

Send a short presentation of your project or topic, and your motivation for speaking at Sharing is Caring, to louise@mmex.dk by 23 August 2017. We will get back to you in the last week of August to tell you if you made the cut.

When, where, what

Sharing is Caring: Digitisation and Social Impact? takes place 19-21 November in Aarhus, the Cultural Capital of Europe 2017. The conference focuses on collaboration and sharing in the cultural heritage sector by bringing together practitioners, researchers, and users of culture. The team behind it is MMEx, SMK, and Visit Aarhus.

Sharing is Caring has been held since 2011, featuring keynote speakers such as Melissa Terras, Cédric Manara, Michael Edson, Shelley Bernstein, Nick Poole, Jill Cousins, Simon Tanner, and Jasper Visser, as well as a brilliant range of practitioners and researchers within digital culture. Around 200 attendants join the conference every time.

Sharing is Caring is spreading

Sharing is Caring is all about sharing experience and expertise about digital culture. Therefore, we are thrilled that the concept of Sharing is Caring is spreading across borders. Good colleagues in Hamburg and Bruxelles have already organised extensions of Sharing is Caring outside Denmark! The conference in Denmark remains the big core event which takes place every second year, each time with a new topical theme. In November 2017, we met in Aarhus under the headline Digitisation and social impact? You too can have a share in the Sharing is Caring name and organize your own local extension, to address the topics that are close to your heart and community. Interested in staging your own Sharing is Caring event? Get in touch! The relation between the Sharing is Caring conference and extensions is inspired by the one between the TED conferences and local TEDx extensions. That is why the extensions use the hashtag #sharecarex 


Damen Pyramide, from the photographic collection of the MKG Hamburg, Public Domain