Université Paris Cité’s Libraries and Museums Awarded the Culture Libre Label!

The Culture Libre Label, created by Wikimedia France, in 2022, evaluates a cultural institution that integrates open content in its digital practices. Awarding of this label to Université Paris Cité’s libraries and museums is a testament to the quality of their approaches, strategies, and actions. It reflects their ability to align the operational needs of cultural institutions with the evolving needs and preferences of the wider public, spanning from the choice of degree courses to the proficient use of digital tools. This label involves the institution or its supervisory body committing to the six principles described in the Charter of Commitment to accessibility, openness and the dissemination of open content by cultural institutions.

Having taken steps to promote and disseminate content under an open license for several years, this commitment is an extension of our statutory mission to disseminate scientific and technical culture and information, in keeping with Université Paris Cité’s strategic orientations, of which the following are the most noteworthy: to focus on and promote open access and open data, working towards visibility, dissemination and circulation of reliable good quality content on the web, to support a dialogue between science and society through physical or digital events with a wide appeal, to promote the university’s scientific and cultural heritage, and to develop online distribution and mediation services.

This commitment to open content is reflected in the university’s activities, particularly in the Image Bank and the BIU Santé’s (Intrauniversity healthcare library) digital library. Its legacy includes projects to contribute to Wikimedia Commons and Wikidata, partnership agreements signed with Wikimedia, contribution training for staff through the intervention of contact persons, repeated participation in Wikimedia “Culture and Digital” days, and the gradual clarification of work linked to Wikimedia projects in several job descriptions. This open content experience, which is not limited to relations with Wikimedia, also relies on the well-anchored use of open licenses, and even contributions to other open distribution platforms.

There are two essential criteria for the attribution of the bronze label to the libraries and museums of Université Paris Cité: the use of open software licenses compatible with Wikimedia projects for the digitisation of works and documents, as well as communicating to the public on the university’s open content policy. The awarding of this Open Culture Label is the recognition of the progress we have made in opening up our data and content. These actions will firmly establish these activities within the fabric of University life and establish more defined strategies for future growth. This may involve efforts to streamline payment processes, as well as integrating open dissemination objectives in new projects from the outset, such as the computerisation of the Museum of the History of Medicine. 

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