Wikimedian in Residence for the National Library of Scotland | 7/31/2014
INTRODUCTION
A Wikimedian in Residence (WiR) is a Wikimedian who dedicates time to working in-house at an organization. The role is fundamentally about enabling the host organisation and its members to continue a productive relationship with the encyclopaedia and its community after the Residency is finished. The aim is to promote understanding of Wikimedia projects amongst NLS staff, as well as GLAM organisations in Scotland more generally, by organising workshops and events. The role essentially boils down to three component parts: facilitating content creation, internal political consultation for change, and working for benefit of the Wikimedia and GLAM communities.
Background
Discussions regarding the installation of a Wikimedian in Residence at the National Library of Scotland first emerged out of a training session for NLS staff members held in Edinburgh by British Library WiR Andrew Gray in 2012. A proposal for support from WMUK was subsequently submitted, with the result being that WMUK offered a grant to supplement the costs of salary, and support costs for events, travel, and accommodation where required. The job opening was posted in April 2013, and as the first position of its kind in Scotland it received significant media attention across the UK. In July 2013, Ally Crockford took up the post in a part-time capacity for 8 months; this was then extended a further 4 months on a part time basis by the WMUK Board in December 2013.
Aims and Objectives Current estimations suggest that the Library holds between 17 and 21 million items in its collection. Initial concepts for an ideal outcome of the Wikimedian-in-Residence programme at the NLS included the opening up of access to these sources by uploading digitised copies to Wikisource or Wikimedia Commons in some cases, and by building strong links between Wikipedia and existing free online collections hosted by the NLS in others. It was also hoped that the increase in contribution and the organisation of events and workshops will encourage more active contributions to Wikimedia projects across Scotland. The stated objectives outlined in the job plan issued by the NLS to WMUK included the following:
Public Outreach:
- Help the Library develop an outreach policy to coordinate contributions from the wider Scottish community to develop Wikimedia in under-represented areas and minority languages
- To promote digital engagement in areas related to the work of the National Library of Scotland
- Delivery of 3+ public workshops for editors (i.e. edit-a-thons) Staff Workshops:
- Provide training opportunities for staff, volunteers, and researchers associated with the NLS
- Delivery of 7+ workshops for National Library of Scotland staff and researchers, or related institutions.
Contributor Communities:
- Establish relationships with the Scottish Wikimedia community, editors, and projects with the aim of an increase in the number of contributors in Scotland
- Collaboration with key partners both within and without the GLAM sector
Digital Content:
- The identification of material for future Wikimedia digitisation projects
- To make information or materials held by the institution available via the Wikimedia projects, e.g. releasing text, images, and other multimedia files under a free license where appropriate
