Submissions/Consortium Based Wikipedia Approach at the Metropolitan Library Council

Late Submission - will not be considered by the committee

Submission no. 2007

Title of the submission: The Consortium Based Wikipedian-in-Residence Approach at the Metropolitan Library Council: A Case Study

Type of submission (discussion, hot seat, panel, presentation, tutorial, workshop): Presentation

Author of the submission: Dorothy Howard

E-mail address: Email User OR drohowa

Username: User:OR drohowa

Country of origin: USA

Affiliation, if any (organisation, company etc.): Wikimedia NYC, Metropolitan New York Library Council, WikiConferenceUSA2014 Program Coordinator.

Personal homepage or blog: Twitter at DorothyR_Howard and Metropolitan New York Library Council

Abstract

The focus of this talk would be on the consortium-based Wikipedian-in-Residence approach for outreach to institutions. While the majority of Wikipedians-in-Residence have hulled down at singular institutions and developed strategies to maximize the coverage of that singular instituion’s resources on Wikipedia platforms, the consortium allows the WiR to develop a web of simultaneous projects and facilitate trainings and collaborations in Wikipedia events among different institutions. The talk will use examples from my work as WiR at the Metropolitan New York Library Council, a library/archives consortium of New York with about 250 members. At METRO, we have worked with a variety of institutions from medical research libraries to public libraries, to private archives, to special art libraries. Each type of library/archive approaches Wikipedia with a unique set of interests and a consortium-based WiR is able to become familiar with best practices for adding and editing a variety of specialized institutional references.

The consortium-based WiR is well set-up to create sustainable projects within institutions while also allowing them the space to do this development on their own. I would use various case-studies from my work to compliment the presentation and show how this approach also allows for professional development at institutions by creating new positions for staff and volunteers, and involves targeted outreach to GLAM professionals that are already editing to join a localized GLAM community. Other consortium-based Wikipedians at a few international institutions like at the National Library of Scotland will also be invited and the presentation may be able to expand from a one-person 30-minute presentation to a full panel on the consortium approach depending on presenter interest.

At METRO of our most engaged participants have included the Frick Museum which has over five regular staff editors, the Józef Piłsudski Institute of America, which now has a WiR PHD History volunteer doing edits and the Center for Jewish History which started a Wikipedia staff group. We have also been able to help out with several large scale, coordinated virtual Edit-a-Thons taking place simultaneously at multiple institutions.

Track

GLAM Outreach

Length of session (if other than 30 minutes, specify how long): 30 minutes

Will you attend Wikimania if your submission is not accepted?: Yes

Slides or further information (optional): "On Consortium Based Wikipedian in Residence Postitions" on the WMF Blog.

Special requests: None

Interested attendees

If you are interested in attending this session, please sign with your username below. This will help reviewers to decide which sessions are of high interest. Sign with a hash and four tildes. (# ~~~~).

--Another Believer (talk) 18:06, 6 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Add your username here.