The Digital Cultural Heritage Research Cluster of the Edinburgh Futures Institute at the University of Edinburgh and the International GLAM Labs Community will hold a two-day event in June 2026, bringing together GLAM professionals and researchers to explore what Labs have achieved over the past 10 years, what challenges there have been, how broader contexts have changed and what future models or approaches could look like for these experimental spaces.

Over the past decade, some Labs have disappeared; new ones have been established; some have pivoted their service models; others were never framed as Labs in the first place. A number of broader initiatives have also emerged around the creation of research data infrastructures and exploring the publication and reuse of digital collections. Meanwhile, many individual organisations lack the resources required to establish and sustain Labs, yet recognise the evolving use cases for GLAM digital and data collections.

In this new context, what is the value of Labs when faced with limited resources, a changing technological landscape and new engagement challenges? How are Labs preparing, publishing and collaborating around their data, and how can they be aligned with wider data infrastructure projects? What new Labs models are emerging, and (how) can Labs-like activities become sustainable across an organisation? Are Labs designed to last?

We invite the community to strengthen the collaboration between research and practice, and to explore the future of GLAM Labs within the digital heritage ecosystem. This in-person event will draw up a vision for GLAM Labs Futures, imagining, predicting and projecting what the future holds for the experimental reuse of digital collections and data.