Grants:IEG/Wikipedian in Residence for Gender Equity

This project is funded by an Individual Engagement Grant

statusselected

Wikipedian in Residence for Gender Equity

summaryWest Virginia University Libraries aspires to become a beacon for gender equality in Wikipedia by appointing a Wikipedian in Residence for Gender Equity by late fall 2015.

targetWikipedia

strategic priorityimproving quality

themeoffline outreach and partnerships

amount27,100 USD

grantee• CWWilkinson

advisor• Ocaasi• FloNight• Sadads

contact• Carroll.Wilkinson@mail.wvu.edu

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created on17:39, Tuesday, March 31, 2015 (UTC)

2015 round 1

Friendly space expectations

Project idea

What is the problem you're trying to solve?

A full discussion of the context of the issue of the acknowledged gender gap in Wikipedia is found here: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Address_the_gender_gap

WVU Libraries aspires to become a beacon for gender equality in Wikipedia by appointing a Wikipedian in Residence for Gender Equity by late fall 2015.

What is your solution?

The WiR will collaborate with faculty, students, librarians, library staff, and interested others to begin the process of content development in Wikipedia to address undocumented topic areas about women and gender issues and to strengthen existing entries. The new WiR will focus exclusively on women and gender issues in West Virginia first and then expand to the Appalachian region of the United States. When we have the person on board we believe this will be the first WiR with a focus on gender equity issues.

Project goals

This idea proposes an experimental and hybrid bridge project that will bring the culture of Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation together with the culture of our University and University Libraries. We aim for a successful partnership with mutually satisfying outcomes, i.e. the reduction of the gender gap in specified areas of content in Wikipedia.

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Participants

Advisor Guidance and assistance selecting a WIR, tools for teaching Wikipedia to faculty/students Ocaasi (talk) 13:27, 29 April 2015 (UTC)
Advisor Continue to assist with advancing this project through guidance about selecting a WiR, setting appropriate measures for success, planning activities that have impact, and general advice about Wikimedia/Wikipedia. Sydney Poore/FloNight (talk) 13:45, 29 April 2015 (UTC)
Advisor I have significant experience in developing capacity for Digital projects in the humanities, especially around Wikipedia, on University campuses through outside work, the Education program and GLAM-Wiki. I would love to advise on both developing the position, hiring the WiR and helping the WiR define the research and engagement methodologies. Sadads (talk) 14:29, 29 April 2015 (UTC)

Endorsements

Sydney Poore/FloNight (talk) 19:38, 31 March 2015 (UTC)
Djembayz (talk) 21:33, 16 April 2015 (UTC)
harej (talk) 18:02, 27 April 2015 (UTC)
Great idea! BrillLyle (talk) 22:08, 1 May 2015 (UTC)

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Project plan

Activities

Project Plan

Create a position description for the WiR in Gender Equity.(We have drafted a position description for the Wikipedian in Residence for Gender Equity and will edit and formalize for use if funded.
Secure the funding to support this person's work. (We intend to fund 50% of the salary with grant funds this first year. We would like to work in partnership with the Wikimedia Foundation the first year of operation. WVU Libraries will support the other 50% of the salary.
Recruit for the right person for the job.
Once hired, the new WiR will undertake project management.
Clarify and write out expectations for the early stages of project development including the articles that need to be revised or written and posted for the first time;
Recruit volunteer writers;
Develop and deliver training materials and sessions for the volunteer writers; develop a timeline with dates for 4-6 training sessions; establish month by month action plan for the year of funded activity.
Arrange publicity, promotion, and communication efforts to establish the initiative as a sustainable long term commitment for the home institution;
Collaborate with those in the Wikipedia network already at work on similar projects.*
Over the past few years Wikipedia has created special projects to promote content about women. WikiProject Women writers and WikiProject Women's History and WikiProject Women scientists are several of the most active projects working on writing women in to Wikipedia.
Write a messages on the talk pages of these different WikiProjects to invite people to comment on the Inspire campaign idea.
Training materials developed by Wiki Ed Foundation (the people who helped organize the WVU gender event) will serve as models for WVUL.\
Years 2 and 3: article writing and evaluation will continue with funded sources identified in year 1.

Budget

This budget covers a one year period during which we hope to begin with Wikimedia Foundation salary support for the 50% of the WiR salary and cost share from West Virginia University Libraries.

Year 1 Request

$27,100.00 WiR salary, fringe,travel, materials for project promotion and communication.

Year 1 in-kind contribution for WVUL:

10% salary plus fringe of Library faculty strategic initiatives director,web development costs, office supplies of WiR,

Partial Total: $12,482.84. WVUL will also contribute $25,000 in salary. Grand total: $37,482.84

Community engagement

Sustainability

WVUL intends to make this effort permanent. The WiR will be fully integrated into the structure of the University Libraries by Year 2.

Measures of success

Assessment plan-We intend to design a rubric to evaluate each authentic article written or strengthened by volunteer writers. Criteria for assessment will include: the writer’s ability to follow the guidelines for Wikipedia, encyclopedia-style writing; the avoidance of sexist or other biased language in all text; the selection of subject matter; the quality of the writer’s research process and sources of evidence; and the care with which the citations are written. Each writer will receive the rubric during training and the overall writing expectations and criteria for evaluation will be made clear from the beginning of the project. Furthermore, we will count and assess the number of Wikipedia West Virginia women and gender studies articles at the beginning of this project and increase that number by 25% or more by the end of the project.If we are successful and can expand we will do the same for the Appalachian women and gender issue articles.

In addition to the guidelines for sustainability above, we will add measures of success to the project implementation. They are: 1.number of overall participants; 2.the number of women participating; 3.the number of new editors; 4. the number of retained editors; 5. the number of articles improved and created.

Project team

Community notification

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