An alternative is to hire someone with more institutional experience and less Wikimedia experience and include a learning component in the position. Both Toronto and Alberta situated the WIR as a student role and were ready to invest in more time for training. Internationally, there is a lot of support available from local Wikimedia chapters and the Wikimedia community is full of resources on how to edit, so learning and then teaching about Wikipedia is very doable. Jung spoke about how spending the first part of his residency exploring and learning about the Wikimedia ecosystem helped him feel con dent in the role. At the University of Alberta Library, we felt that by hiring a student we could gain an important perspective from outside the library on our collections and resources.
Will the Position Be Paid?
In the tradition of Wikipedia editors, many of the early WIR positions were filled on a volunteer basis. In all three of our case studies, the role was a paid one. Whether or not there are funds to pay an editor, and how much, will impact how the role is shaped. Another consideration is where to find the funding for the role. In all three of our case studies the WIR positions were funded internally through either discretionary or donor funds, which meant the positions were treated more as a special project rather than ongoing roles. is gave the libraries flexibility on who they could hire but also meant that they had a nite life span. Other options for funding a position could include project grants from the Wikipedia Foundation or partnering with a local Wikipedia chapter.
If the decision is made to create a paid WIR role, it is best practice for them to be clear about any affiliations and to be aware of Wikipedia’s conflict of interest policy. While the community considers WIR editing acceptable, they are expected to identify their WIR status on their user page and on talk pages related to their organization when they post there. One recurring debate is if WIR should be required to go through the Article for Creation (AFC) process, which means that any new pages must be submitted as drafts and then reviewed by experienced editors. While in theory this process is sound, those who oppose argue on the “Wikipedia talk:Conflict of interest” (2020) page
