GLAM/Newsletter/May 2012/Contents/USA report
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OCLC announces Wikipedian in Residence; 2 edit-a-thons; US cultural partnerships report; brief news
OCLC announces Wikipedian in Residence
Max Klein has been appointed as Wikipedian in Residence at OCLC Research. He will be in residence until the end of August in OCLC’s San Mateo, California office. In his position, Max will work with OCLC Research to explore and pursue mutually beneficial projects between OCLC, library stakeholders, and the Wikipedia community through a range of activities, including working with OCLC staff and librarians to help foster a broader understanding of Wikipedia's practices. He will initially focus on two goals: helping to foster a broader understanding of Wikipedia's practices for librarians, and exploring where links between libraries and Wikipedia makes sense. OCLC Research is very pleased to join the ranks of the Smithsonian Institution, the (U.S) National Archives and Records Administration, the British Library in hosting a WIR. We’ll be blogging about Max’s work on HangingTogether.org and you can view an interview with Max on Youtube.
Max has a BA in Mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley. While a student, he led and facilitated a student-run course on the Politics of Piracy which incorporated editing on Wikipedia. He also served, recruited and lectured as a Regional Ambassador as part of Wikipedia's Education Program.
OCLC is a nonprofit, membership, computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purposes of furthering access to the world’s information and reducing information costs. Tens of thousands of libraries around the world use OCLC services to locate, acquire, catalog, lend and preserve library materials.
Women at Princeton Edit-a-thon
During the opening question and answer session at the She Roars conference at Princeton University last year, one alumna asked if there could be a museum of the history of women at Princeton. President Shirley Tilghman directed the questioner to Princeton’s archives, the Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library. Taking inspiration from Mudd Library’s current exhibit, “She Flourishes: Chapters in the History of Princeton Women,” Technical Services student worker Q Miceli organized another Wikipedia edit-a-thon at Mudd called She Roars. We Record. The event, which took place on May 19, was designed to encourage new users to participate in editing articles about a little-publicized topic.
Members of the Wikimedia Chapter of New York City helped undergraduates and community members learn how to edit Wikipedia. Using resources available in the archives’ reference room, website, and exhibition display, participants wrote about prominent female staff members and even created an article about the history of coeducation at Princeton. One undergraduate participant was particularly enthused about creating articles on women in science, and she has since returned to Mudd a few times to do research.
The Mudd Library staff looks forward to hosting more edit-a-thons next academic year.
Deliverables
- Mudd Library Blog Entry
- Total participants: 15
- Princeton students: 4
- Usernames created: 5
Articles created
- Coeducation at Princeton University
- Karin Trainer
- History of Women at Princeton University
- Margot Canaday
Articles expanded
- Elaine Pagels
- Evelyn Evelyn College for Women
- Addition of first editrix of The Daily Princetonian and first woman business manager.
US Cultural Partnerships
- Ongoing coordination with US cultural organizations and support and advisement for early stages of planning processes, including support for GLAM OTRS queue and other email inquiries.
- Assistance with Monmouthpedia coverage and other GLAM-Wiki social media promotion.
- Coordinated New Mexico Museum Association proposal for US GLAM-Wiki presentation.
- Prepared for and presented at the MuseumNext conference in Barcelona, which included a Wikipedia Lounge and a QRpedia presentation. (More information on the Spain Report.
In brief
- The article "To wiki or not to wiki," written by US Cultural Partnerships Coordinator Lori Phillips, has been featured in the recent publication Reprograme, an e-book that compiles best practice in museum communication and digital engagement. The e-book is free to the public and will soon be available in Portuguese and Spanish.
- The successful Wikimedia presence at the American Association of Museums conference in Minneapolis resulted in a series of recaps, including the New Media Consortium and the Wikimedia blog. The Wikipedian in Residence virtual session is also available to view for free.
- Multiple museum professionals pointed to Wikipedia as a highlight of the AAM conference, including Adrianne Russell in her blog post "GenX Says, AAM Reflections" and Robert Connolly in the blog post "Wikimedia, Museums, Trade and More".
- The Smithsonian Institution Archives held its second edit-a-thon in May. Article improvements focused on the history of the Smithsonian and it's people. Approximately 15 people participated from around the world, including around ten in house participants. Numerous articles were improved upon, including the Enid A. Haupt Garden, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, and Solomon G. Brown.
- The Walters Art Museum has released 19,000 images to Wikimedia. For more information, see the press release
- Max Klein was this month named OCLC Research Wikipedian in Residence. To learn more, see the press release.
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