GLAM/Newsletter/October 2024/Contents/USA report

This Month in GLAM – Volume XIV, Issue X, October 2024

Normal version • Single page version

USA report

October meetups, GLAM CSI, and WikiConference North America Culture Crawl

By Slowking4 and User:Fuzheado

GLAM CSI User Stories and Solutions

Two major updates to the GLAM CSI project have been released in October.

New user stories released

A set of seven key user stories have been launched, and are open for more feedback. They can be found at: meta:GLAM_CSI#Gallery. In addition to the foundational stories related to GLAM work on lists, gender gap, and image uploading, the stories that have been created in collaboration with the GLAM wiki community include:
The ISA Tool for tagging images using Structured Data on Commons.
Wikibase, as a local installation by GLAMs wanting to experiment with their own Wikidata-like activities, such as creating their own identifiers or taxonomy.
Biodiversity Heritage Library, a detailed examination of a large database project wanting deeper integration with Wikidata. The main report around BHL and Wikidata can be found at their report.

GLAM CSI outcomes from Wikimania

More results from the Wikimania Global Wiki Meetup have been collated and organized, most notably a priority-ranked table of possible solutions to "obstacle areas" for Wikimedia work.

The results below show the output of a group brainstorming activity around the question: "How might we address and improve.... (an area listed in our six-point criteria).

Technical and tooling issues
Data modeling and metadata challenges
Resource and capacity constraints
Community issues and cultural barriers
Content integration and re-use
Sustainable future

The main areas that received attention in the brainstorming, after sorting and sifting emerged in these areas:

Training and documentation
Tools and development
Languages and internationalization

What is notable is the focus on training, documentation, and peer learning. There was much interest in how communities could share best practices and come together to learn from experiences in uploading, enriching data, or the strategic approaches to Wikimedia engagement. Related to this was a great emphasis on making sense of the range of tools and technical features available to GLAM Wiki participants, and how we might better support development of these, or even to understand the health and status of such tools. These were ranked among the easier obstacles to address. The harder ones included those related to langauges, non-Roman languages and internationalization, or those around governance within the movement.

From the Wikimania Global Wiki Meetup – Possible solutions to "obstacle areas" for Wikimedia work, ranked.

Background: GLAM Wiki CSI (Contribution Study Initiative) or GLAM CSI is a project to assess the contribution pipeline in the Wikimedia technical infrastructure for supporting cultural and heritage partnerships and projects. More can be found at the project page on meta.

Wiki Culture Crawl at WikiConference North America

On October 3rd, the annual WikiConference North America was held with a number of engagements related to GLAM wiki activities and history.

GLAM Keynote in memory of Effie Kapsalis

On October 5, Andrew Lih and Sara Snyder started the day with a keynote honoring Effie Kapsalis, discussing her impact on the GLAM Wiki movement, and the instrumental role she had in bringing the Smithsonian Institution towards adopting an Open Access policy over the years, in collaboration with Wikimedia DC.

Culture Crawl and Activities

The conference hosted the annual Wiki Culture Crawl in Indianapolis, bringing together over 100 enthusiastic Wikipedia editors and Wikimedia volunteers. The day-long event was packed with tours, edit-a-thons, and collaborative activities aimed at enhancing content related to museums, libraries, and cultural heritage across Wikimedia platforms.

The Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) University Library served as the hub for an all-day editathon. Participants improved Wikipedia articles, updated Wikidata entries, and uploaded new images to Wikimedia Commons, engaging editors of varying experience levels.

Participants had the opportunity to explore a wide array of cultural institutions throughout Indianapolis (full details):

Indiana State Library
Monument Circle Historic District Walking Tour: Led by Indiana Landmarks
Indiana Historical Society
Indiana Supreme Court and Law Library
Herron Art Library
Decoding Downtown Indy Walking Tour from Indiana Landmarks.
Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site
Ray Bradbury Museum
Indie Bookstore Crawl
Central Library, Indianapolis Public Library
Indiana War Memorial Museum
Lucas Oil Stadium
White River State Park Walking Tour
Indiana State Museum

The day's events culminated with a reception at the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library featuring a compelling panel discussion titled "Banned Books and Representation at the Crossroads," with authors and scholars Leah Johnson, Stephen Lane, and Ann Matsuuchi, moderated by Jason Aukerman.

The Wiki Culture Crawl not only enriched Wikimedia's content but also strengthened partnerships with Indianapolis institutions. By collaborating directly with museums, libraries, and cultural sites, participants were able to gather firsthand information and media to enhance articles and entries. This initiative significantly contributes to making cultural heritage accessible to a global audience.