culture.explore(data)
An Open Cultural Data Hackathon
7-8 October 2025
Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin
About
culture.explore(data) is a two-day open cultural data hackathon held at the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin on 7-8 October 2025. Create your own digital projects based on open data and curated datasets of the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz and the Libraries and Museums at the University of Oxford. Unlock hidden stories by rethinking cultural heritage and experimenting with digital forms, such as apps, games, storytelling, data visualizations or interactive exhibitions.
Whether you’re new to coding or an advanced developer, everyone’s welcome! Join with like-minded creators from cultural heritage, creative industries, research, digital art or coding and register by 15 September 2025.
culture.explore(data) is hosted by the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin and the Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford. The event is supported by a GLAM-SPK Seed Funding grant.
FAQs
What is a hackathon?
A hackathon is an event for people from a variety of backgrounds to come together and to develop digital projects over a short span of time. Over the course of two days, we invite participants to the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin to experiment with a series of curated datasets and explore the open data held by two of the world’s largest cultural heritage institutions, the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz and the Libraries and Museums at the University of Oxford.
In small teams, participants will have the opportunity to build their own digital project, advance their digital skills and meet like-minded participants. Participants may have experience in coding, in the arts or they may have a background in research. The key is the diversity of views and experiences that everyone brings to exploring cultural heritage data.
Before heading into the coding phase, participants will have the opportunity to learn about the data from library and museum professionals who will also be available to assist and to advise as needed throughout the hackathon. Final projects are not expected to be market-ready applications but creative experimentations that expose collections to unusual contexts, new ideas and overlooked perspectives – failure is an option! What better way to unlock the creative freedom of the worlds of culture, technology and open data?
What’s in it for me?
culture.explore(data) is an excellent opportunity to develop your coding and digital humanities skills as you experiment with open cultural data. We encourage participants to conceive of the data as freely and widely as possible when envisioning their digital projects. By working with like-minded participants from different backgrounds, you are able to make new connections and expand your professional network.
And if that’s not enough: A jury will review the prototypes and award a Best Project prize!
Who are we?
We are enthusiastic digital research librarians based at the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin and the Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford. Our backgrounds cover a range of fields including history of science, enlightenment literature, heritage studies, numismatics and digital scholarship. We are fascinated by the creative and productive potential of open cultural heritage data. Whether visualizing networks of correspondence among eighteenth-century philosophers or using gamification to explore historical menucards and food history, the opportunities to create new stories and access cultural heritage in novel ways are endless.
What data can I use?
Participants are encouraged to access a variety of open data held by the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz and Libraries and Museums at the University of Oxford. Participants will be able to experiment with curated datasets that include digitized images, text and metadata in various data formats. In addition to datasets provided by the organizers, participants are invited to create their own datasets and explore the entire digitized collections with the help of open APIs.
An overview of the data provided throughout the hackathon will be made available soon.
Do I need to know coding?
Coding experience is not a requirement for participation in the hackathon. We are looking to assemble teams that bring together participants with a mix of different skills and experiences to build innovative digital projects.
The hackathon is a great opportunity to get started and experiment with coding – no matter your level of experience.
Catering
We are pleased to provide lunch and snacks along with tea, coffee and water thoughout the hackathon. Please note that dinner is on a self-payer basis.
Is there a fee?
No. There is no fee to participate in the hackathon.
Where do I need to go?
culture.explore(data) takes place in the Simón-Bolívar-Hall at the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin on Potsdamer Str. 33, 10785 Berlin. Enter via the main entrance of the Stabi Berlin or the Ibero American Institute.
How can I get in touch?
You can reach the organizing team via email at lab@sbb.spk-berlin.de or onsite at the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Potsdamer Str. 33, 10785 Berlin.
Organizing Team
Dr. John Woitkowitz
Dr. Roman Kuhn
Emma Lesburgueres
Dr. Megan Gooch
Ayla Karaman
Contact
Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin
Potsdamer Str. 33
10785 Berlin
