Microsoft: Empowering GLAMs

With its newly-established initiative of Global Business Strategy for Museums and Libraries, Microsoft is focusing its substantial resources to empower GLAM communities across the globe. BPOC is thrilled to consult on this project and help Microsoft define its role in evolving GLAMs to meet the 21st century expectations of cultural tourists, educators, schools, researchers and life-long learners.

"Microsoft exists to build products that empower others." -- Satya Nadella

This Empowering GLAMs initiative is a focused commitment aligned with a core principle of why Microsoft exists, with an overarching goal to ensure that our cultural communities are motivated, equipped and supported to similarly empower their audiences. Through four defined areas of practice that define the use of technology and digital endeavour in GLAMs, Microsoft seeks to enhance Visitor Experience, through forward-thinking engagement technologies; advance Research and Discovery of the wealth of intellectual property contained in our institutions; establish relevant and sustainable Digital Infrastructures; and ensure the GLAM professional community is fluent and accomplished through professional development and with access to peer communities and domain expertise.

Both Microsoft and the GLAM sector share the core values of accessibility and a commitment to support open access and open source technologies. The resources that Microsoft can apply in the course of this initiative to support and advance of these core values will have a lasting and transformative impact to our field.

As Empowering GLAMs unfolds, BPOC is applying its expertise and experience in the museum, archive and library communities, to ensure the success of this watershed initiative.