GLAM/Newsletter/June 2012/Contents/Germany report

This Month in GLAM – Volume II, Issue VI, June 2012

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Germany report

Long nights; New Wikimedians in Residence; Wikipedia Academy & Zedler Prize

By Daniel Mietchen

Wikimedia stand in the Mineral Hall of the Naturkundemuseum Berlin during the Long Night of the Sciences on June 2.
A tape recorder custom-built for the Tierstimmenarchiv (animal sound archive), whose Wikipedia entry was drafted at the stand.
Sound recording from the Tierstimmenarchiv: young starlings.
A skeleton in the new elephant exhibition.

Long Nights

While Wikimedians had long been participating in Long Nights of the Sciences as visitors and occasionally with their own program, this month saw several GLAM:Wiki partnerships during such events.

On June 2 in Berlin, Wikimedia stands were part of the official Long Night program in the Naturkundemuseum Berlin and the German Archaeological Institute. In the Naturkundemuseum, visitors could explore QR codes (due to a technical glitch, these were not QRpedia codes) that would lead them to the German Wikipedia entries for some 30 minerals on display in the Mineral Hall. At the Wikimedia stand, they could get a guided tour through Wikimedia activities as well as some information materials and swag. In parallel and also at the stand, the article about the animal sound collection, the Tierstimmenarchiv was drafted, and illustrated with a sound file from and some photos of the collection. Finally, the occasion brought about a number of photos that now serve to illustrate Wikipedia entries about minerals.

On June 29 in Leipzig, two introductory workshops on the inner workings of Wikipedia were held at Leipzig University's Bibliotheca Albertina Library. This way, about a dozen Long Night visitors made their first ever edits to Wikipedia, and some to Wikimedia Commons as well.

New Wikimedians in Residence

In June, Marcus Cyron started as Wikimedian in Residence at the German Archaeological Institute, and in July, another Wikimedian is to take office in the Berliner Stadtmuseum.

Wikipedia Academy Berlin 2012

From June 29 till July 1, Wikipedia Academy 2012 took place in Berlin. It brought together researchers and Wikimedians from 16 countries. It featured several workshops, including one on GLAM Tools, along with two keynotes - one by Benjamin Mako Hill on success and failure of peer production, one by Sarah Stierch on the gender gap - and several panels - one on the interaction between Wikipedians and Wikipedia researchers, one on Open research and how it affects science communication, and another one on free knowledge more generally. Besides these more classical formats and the paper sessions, the conference also had room for speed geeking, lightning talks, breakout sessions and posters. This unusual mix was rather experimental but received favourable feedback from participants.

Zedler Prize

The conference ended with the award ceremony for the Zedler Prize, which Wikimedia Germany hands out in several categories. The winners this year were the articles Fukushima nuclear disaster and pizza box as well as the initiatives Portal:Austrian lists of monuments, Vroniplag and Flower of the Week.