Jump to content

Wikipedia:GLAM/Bodleian/12th month report

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Institution Resident's Name Period Covered Date of Report
The Bodleian Libraries, Oxford User:MartinPoulter 1 March - 5 April 2016 6 April 2016

Total: 3,886 files uploaded, six new accounts

Content[edit]

Summary objective: To make content from the Bodleian available for use on the Wikimedia projects.

There were 3,861 uploads from the archives of the Bodleian Libraries and 25 images from other sources.

Bulk uploads this month include:

  • Various western manuscripts in Hebrew, Latin, Old French and Old English
  • 113 bookbindings
  • Some files from the Curzon Collection (political cartoons) and John Johnson Collection (ephemera) that were missed in past bulk uploads

Examples are at commons:Commons:Bodleian. I have written a short piece about recent uploads for use in the Bodleian's internal newsletter, Outline and for use as a Wikimedia UK blog post.

I also uploaded some files from the archives of Somerville College, St Hilda's College, and Lady Margaret Hall - all formerly women-only colleges. These contributions totalled 14 files, and most are images of notable women for whom Wikipedia does not yet have an article. The Voltaire Foundation also shared five images, and the Bodleian Communications team shared six images of the Weston Library which does not yet have any images on Wikimedia.

Liz McCarthy and I are in process of putting in place a sustainable process for bulk transfers of content from Digital Bodleian to Wikimedia Commons. Digital Bodleian is a new platform that will eventually hold millions of digital images, but the vast majority are yet to be uploaded. My scripts will enable bulk uploads of the to-be-uploaded material.

Community[edit]

Summary objective: to expand, diversify and train the contributor community

A Women in Wikipedia editathon attracted seven trainees, all of them women, including four new accounts. Three other people sent apologies that they could not make the particular time slot. I sent them introductory links about editing. The event created two new articles and improvements to others. Evaluation is at wmuk:Women in Wikipedia, Oxford 2016. In preparation for the event, I created a list of women with major achievements in various fields who lack a Wikipedia article: I will pass this on to the Women In Red project.

One of the attendees was an archivist working for a funded project, one of whose outcomes will be an expansion of the Wikipedia article about the scientist Mabel Purefoy FitzGerald. I met with her and have given advice and feedback in email to her and a colleague about their plans.

I also ran an informal training session introducing the users User:RonaldRichenburg and User:Tomdle oxford to Wikipedia editing.

The final Open Knowledge Ambassador workshop had two attendees, both women. One had never edited Wikipedia, but came to the editathon the next week and created an article.

Policy[edit]

Summary objective: Shape and implement policies and workflows for licensing and releasing digital media and reporting their use and impact.

Using the GLAMorgan and BaGLAMa tools, I have sent round links with headline figures for the views on various image sets to my contacts. I am writing a briefing for special collection librarians about Wikimedia Commons, to reinforce the message of what has been achieved with bulk uploads from the Bodleian.

As explained above, three parts of the University- the Voltaire Foundation, St Hilda's College and Lady Margaret Hall, have shared images with Commons for the first time.