2026 Community calls: presenting format and initial plan

Community Events
1

Following the recent update on community activities 2026 Funding Update and Budget Direction, we would like to introduce a new series of OpenRefine community calls, starting in April 2026.

These calls are intended to replace the 2026 Barcamp edition, while preserving some of its core dynamics in a lighter, more regular format.

What to expect

The goal of these calls is to create a regular space for exchange across the community.

In line with the Barcamp spirit, each session will aim to balance:

  • demonstrations of existing work (extensions, workflows, training material)
  • discussions on specific topics (features, practices, use cases)
  • opportunities to connect contributors, users, and trainers

These calls are intended for:

  • contributors (developer, designer, translator, documentation writer ...)
  • trainers and facilitators
  • users willing to share workflows or use cases

Format

The format is intentionally lightweight and flexible, and loosely inspired by a barcamp approach:

  • Each session focuses on a single topic
  • One or more contributors introduce the topic (demo, presentation, or discussion prompt)
  • Time is reserved for open discussion and questions
  • Space is kept for broader questions related to OpenRefine

Sessions are expected to run for 90 to 120 minutes, with a typical structure including:

  • a short introduction and presentation
  • the presentation or selected topic for discussions
  • open conversation

The exact timing may vary depending on the topic and level of interaction.

Sessions will be recorded and shared publicly, unless there are specific reasons not to.

Initial timeline

We are planning to hold the first session later in April 2026, and have started reaching out to potential contributors.

Sessions are expected to run on a monthly basis, depending on participation and availability.

At this stage, topics and speakers are still being confirmed.

We will aim to schedule sessions at times that can accommodate different regions where possible.

Contributing a session

Topics are proposed by contributors and coordinated to define a focus for each session.

We will reach out to members of the community to propose sessions on specific topics (for instance, extensions, training practices, or emerging use cases).

Please comment below or reach out by email if you would be interested in:

  • presenting your work
  • sharing a workflow or training approach
  • leading a discussion on a specific topic

Contributions do not need to be fully polished. You can also share work in progress or raise open questions to be discussed within the community.

Start a YouTube account for OpenRefine to curate playlists?
March 19, 2026 Advisory Committee
March 26, 2026 Advisory Committee
Community call: Extension developer guidelines (April 23, 2026)
2

As I plan the summer and fall sessions for the community call series, I am interested in hearing which topics or sessions the community would like to see covered.

I put together a multi-answer poll below to collect interest. Please vote for the sessions you would be most likely to attend or contribute to. You can also reply in this thread with other topic suggestions, speaker ideas, or offers to help organize a session.

  • a) Wikimedia training session
  • b) Reconciliation services overview
  • c) Hosting OpenRefine in organizations
  • d) Trainer session: teaching OpenRefine and building curricula
  • e) Improving our trainer contributor page
  • f) Code session/developer Ask Me Anything
  • g) OpenRefine workflow demos
  • h) Working with metadata standards in OpenRefine
  • i) Documenting user support practices
  • j) Translation and localization session
  • k) Extension demo session
0 voters

Session details

a) Wikimedia training session: A training-focused session on using OpenRefine with Wikimedia projects. We could review existing training materials, identify gaps, and discuss whether a reusable recorded session would be useful.

b) Reconciliation services overview: A presentation of different reconciliation services: what data is available, when to use each service, and how they relate to OpenRefine workflows. The goal would be to invite some reconciliation service maintainers to present their services.

c) Hosting OpenRefine in organizations: A discussion with people running OpenRefine in institutional or shared environments, including servers, HPC, Jupyter, hosted deployments, and maintenance questions.

d) Trainer session: teaching OpenRefine and building curricula: A session for trainers to share teaching approaches, workshop formats, common learner difficulties, and reusable materials. This would follow up on previous BarCamp discussions:

e) Improving our trainer contributor page: A working session to update the contributor guidelines related to training: Add "trainer" contributor page · Issue #529 · OpenRefine/openrefine.org · GitHub

f) Code session/developer Ask Me Anything: An AMA-style session with existing committers and core developer group members, pending availability.

g) OpenRefine workflow demos: Workflow demos from different user communities, for example GLAM, journalists, Wikimedians, researchers, or FAIR data workflows.

h) Working with metadata standards in OpenRefine: A session on working with metadata standards and related workflows, such as Dublin Core, DataCite, DCAT, DDI, controlled vocabularies, and repository metadata.

i) Documenting user support practices: A working session to document what user support looks like in OpenRefine: forum support, GitHub issues, common questions, escalation paths, and how contributors can help.

j) Translation and localization session: A session for translators and users working in non-English contexts to discuss translation workflows, documentation gaps, and priorities. This could be an opportunity to update the contributor guidelines related to translation:

k) Extension demo session: A session to demo one or more OpenRefine extensions. If you vote for this option, please reply in the thread to indicate which extension you would be interested in learning more about.

May 21, 2026 Advisory Committee