Commons:Example requests for partnerships

This page is intended to collect sample emails which can be sent to GLAM institutions for collaboration.

If you have a letter that has worked in initiating partnership, please add it to this page, or work the text that you think was effective into the existing letters.

Partnership email to GLAMs which introduces Commons

Dear XY,

I'm a volunteer editor at Wikimedia Commons, an online photo repository for free-use images. Commons works in partnership with many cultural institutions in order to provide a platform where a broad audience can access archive materials.

I would like to invite you for a partnership with Wikimedia Commons by uploading photos from your archive which are in public domain or can be licensed under Creative Commons. Similarly to its sister-project Wikipedia, Commons is also not-for-profit.

Uploading photos to Commons has many benefits: It simplifies their re-use, contextualization and dissemination by third parties. The images can, for example, be integrated into Wikipedia, educational materials or used barrier-free in a scientific context. New creative and innovative technical applications can be developed based on the archive. Previously unknown background details can be identified and explored by volunteers. Your collection will be enriched by structured metadata, and a large community can help in tagging your images properly. And perhaps most importantly: it makes it easy for people to access their cultural heritage.

Would your institution like to collaborate and provide images for Commons? If so, I'm happy to help. Feel free to contact me or Wikimedia Commons directly. You can find their email address here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Partnerships

You can find further information regarding how the partnership works: https://outreach.wikimedia.org/wiki/GLAM/Model_projects And an example for a project page of a museum who uploaded their archive: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Tropenmuseum

Best wishes, XY