The Europeana Communicators Community is one of the Europeana Network Association's specialist communities. Explore their work plan for 2024. You can also join the Europeana Communicators Community through the Europeana Network Association.
Carola Carlino
Killian Downing
Nina Janz
Marianna Marcucci
Vaya Papadopoulou
Cristina Roiu
Ad Pollé (Community Manager)
Georgia Evans (Community Advisor)
The Steering Group (SG) intends to implement a rotation model for the chair every three - four months. The schedule is determined in the SG meeting in January. In the coming year, it is our ambition to expand the Steering Group and we will aim to recruit new members.
Connect: We aim to be a communication hub between community members, communities, the Europeana Network Association and for the common European data space for cultural heritage in particular, and communicators across the cultural heritage sector in general.
Support: We contribute to Europeana's shared knowledge by supporting the development and promotion of training resources, tools and activities.
Upskill: We equip and empower our members with digital communications skills and tools, continuing promoting the European Year of Skills.
Inspire: We share examples of digital culture in action, demonstrating the relevance of Europeana and (digital) culture heritage and inspiring people to engage with it.
Foster a welcoming, inclusive community of engaged communicators, who recognise, share and promote the value of (digital) cultural heritage and of the common European data space for cultural heritage. We aim to embrace our multinational and multilingual community, and be transparent in our activities.
Behind every piece of data in the common European data space for cultural heritage stands human inspiration, creativity, action, knowledge. As communicators we want to safeguard and showcase the human aspects, values, misfortunes and emotions behind these ‘data’ by advocating (digital) storytelling as an essential part of this data space - and the importance that it is transparent and accessible to all.
In the past years many cultural heritage institutions have been developing so-called participatory approaches, offering citizens the possibility to contribute to the collections by annotating and translating data and by telling their stories, related to objects. As communicators we want to see participatory approaches as an integral part of the design and content of the co-creation of this data space, with cultural heritage institutions ensuring that all their work and projects consider their community. Citizens should be able to recognize the data space as THEIR cultural heritage, THEIR data space and to take ownership. Use and reuse is value. We want to support communicators professionals to encourage these activities and reuse.
1. Support our community with resources that they need to be effective communicators (and work to gain an understanding of what these are)
Proposed activities contributing to this priority area will include:
Conducting an annual survey to ensure we have relevant data and continuity in feedback and a comparable understanding of our community.
Making the results of the survey visible and transparent to our members.
Digital storytelling (in alignment with the Digital Storytelling Festival)
European Elections in June 2024, together with the Education Community
Webinar about the 2023 ‘Digital Education with Cultural Heritage’ 2023 MOOC
The use of AI in DCH storytelling and communication (potentially with the EuropeanaTech community
The DE-BIAS project - joint webinar on promoting a more inclusive and respectful approach to describing cultural heritage.
2. Build and foster connections within our community, across ENA communities; with communicators across the cultural heritage sector; and across data space(s).
Proposed activities contributing to this priority area will include:
Develop a structured approach to engaging members on our LinkedIn channel.
Organising informal events (café-like) in relation to the webinars and/or other activities for our members to meet and discuss relevant issues (drawing inspiration from the Copyright Community’s Office Hours).
Supporting all communities with communications activities.
Promoting the use of #EuropeanaCommunities and inspire the Members Council and Communities to be active on social media.
3. Work to be inclusive to our multinational and multilingual community
Activities which could contribute to this priority area could include:
Carrying out short interviews with community members both in English and in their own languages; possibly focusing on the Country Groups pilot (Bulgaria, Slovenia, Italy). This is to build understanding of their experience, and also potentially to use as communications material (news posts, in the newsletter).
Formulating a plan to translate resources relevant to the Communicators Community (e.g. the 7 Tips for digital storytelling).
Contribute to and organise multilingual events and editorial (including on the Europeana website).
Working with relevant groups working on inclusion and diversity (for example, Task Forces) to promote discussions about what ‘inclusive language’ means.
Testing (video-)translation tools or apps, organise a translatathon.
4. Reinforce the value of open digital cultural heritage and the common European data space for cultural heritage by demonstrating the varied and valuable ways it can be used and shared
Activities which could contribute to this priority area will include:
Working on Pro news posts which encourage and highlight reuse, and proactively reaching out to other organisations to work with them on this;
Reach out to smaller cultural heritage institutions to introduce them to Europeana and showcase their work where they are able to work with Europeana - with a focus on the Country Group pilots (Bulgaria, Slovenia, Italy).
5. Run and support activities related to digital storytelling in the cultural heritage sector
Activities which could contribute to this priority area could include:
Promoting and supporting the Digital Storytelling Festival
Reaching out and focusing on promotion to communications professionals
Continue the translation activities in this area.
The Communicators Community work plan for 2024 contributes to the strategic priorities of the Europeana Network Association in a number of ways:
Collaboration with Europeana Foundation, Europeana Aggregators’ Forum and wider networks by undertaking activities to build and foster connections within our community, across ENA communities, with communicators across the cultural heritage sector and across data space(s).
Support the Country Group pilots in their communication efforts
Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) by working towards being inclusive of our multinational and multilingual community.
Supporting capacity building and digital transformation in cultural heritage institutions by developing resources (particularly around digital communication and digital storytelling) which will build capacity and skills in cultural heritage professionals.
Supporting ENA Mechanisms by communicating the benefits of joining the Europeana Network Association and how to get involved.
The Steering Group does not foresee Task Forces being organised in the coming year, but plans to remind members that they can submit proposals for Task Forces.
Communications and outreach
Bi-monthly newsletter to members
Mailing list to engage members and encourage discussion/interactivity
Pro page with updated newsletter and actions
LinkedIn community
Supporting Europeana’s news and campaigns on social media.
Monthly virtual meetings for the Steering Group based on this work plan
Reporting to MB/MC every three months using this template
In total EUR 4 000 for:
Travel for a physical meeting (in alignment with, for example, the 2024 conference)
Potential compensation for translating relevant communications documents
Supporting initiatives of community interest
Explore and download the Communicators Community's Work Plans from the previous years.
