collaborating with the Public Library Network in Catalonia, the Catalan community has involved over 200 libraries in their Bibliowikis initiative.[1] The model for the collaboration is a simple one: librarians run programs that involve the local public and those librarians train other librarians on developing that kind of programming in their own context. Program models include basic Wikipedia editing workshops, and a number of activities that promote local history and culture, such as photo-scavenger hunts and local book clubs writing about local authors and regional history. Amical Wikimedia (the Catalan-language Wikimedia Affiliate) provides very little support to get the libraries started in activities: documentation and trying to find a regionally available volunteer for the librarians to collaborate with. Once the activities start at a local library, they typically develop other local volunteers who can help support and provide energy for local projects.
Unlike already-committed Wikimedians, who will frequently show up to events just because it’s Wikimedia-related, we have found that involving a broader volunteer community works best with thematic focuses. These focuses offer simpler communication strategies (i.e., “filling a gap on Wikipedia”) and elicit better public interest than offering “learn about Wikipedia” programs.[2]
These themes can fit closely the institutional objectives of the GLAM hosting the activities:
● Many institutions host what’s called a “backstage pass” where they highlight an important topic in their collection as the theme-- such initiatives allow volunteers and staff to share in the professional activities of the organization and rare parts of their collection;
● These themes might fit into the outreach programming goals of your institution -- the Catalan Public Library network collaboration includes frequent book club or local author editing events, which focus on highlight literary culture that is also subject to public library programming; or,
● The topic might be more political and draw from an activist or knowledge community interested in public understanding of that topic -- for example the Art+Feminism events are hosted by GLAMs around the world, and draw large numbers of women editors into the community because of the broad call for “feminist” participation in the projects.
Picking one of these tactics can excite an existing community and provides a motivating draw for volunteers to be engaged in the project and therefore with the library’s collections. Moreover,
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- ↑ For the program page, see https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viquiprojecte:Bibliowikis . A broader case study can be found at: https://outreach.wikimedia.org/wiki/GLAM/Case_studies/Catalonia's_Network_of_Public_Libraries
- ↑ Broad illiteracy about how Wikipedia works, leads to a general lack of knowledge about what it means to “learn how to contribute to Wikipedia”. Additionally, these kinds of overbroad calls tend to solicit people who want to use Wikipedia for cross purposes with the general knowledge interest of Wikimedia and libraries, such as folks interested in promoting businesses or who want profiles of friend on Wikipedia, leading to conflicts of interest and challenges with other Wikimedia policies.
