Wikimedia+Libraries/Program/Submission/The Smithsonian Institution and Wikimedia’s Gender Gap

Title of your proposal

The Smithsonian Institution and Wikimedia’s Gender Gap

Name(s) and/or username(s)

User:KellyDoyle

Email address: doylek2@si.edu

Affiliate, Position (if any): Board Member, Wikimedia DC

Topic

• Advocacy and Outreach in Local Contexts
• Representation gaps

Type of submission (Please choose one)

• Individual Presentations (15 minutes)

Keywords and hashtags

outreach, gender gap, cultural heritage, GLAMs

Abstract

This session will examine efforts to increase the representation of American women in the Wikimedia projects, through coordinated campaigns, and both public outreach and internal training at the Smithsonian Institution through the American Women’s History Initiative (AWHI). In addition, the Smithsonian’s approach to releasing our collections and data about American women will be discussed. The AWHI has been working across the Smithsonian’s 21 museums and 9 research centers to make our collections more accessible online. Our Wikimedia efforts have generated millions of views to our content that would otherwise be impossible. In addition to image, object, and data releases, we’ve hosted public programs, internal training series, and developed a model for Wikimedia based interns which is now in its second year. In this presentation the 2020 Smithsonian adoption of an Open Access policy allows for increased Wikimedia engagement will be explored.

In addition, we have developed an outreach model to GLAMs across the United States who are interested in Wikimedia. We are facilitating training sessions and creating documentation to aid in adding images from their unique collections about women to Wikimedia. In this pilot we are also traveling to two of these GLAMs to host edit-a-thons and conduct Wikimedia training in new regional contexts.

Additional topics to be presented include a list building project about historic women in science at the Smithsonian through the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives. This presentation will examine some significant milestones, best practices, and plans for the future that are replicable for GLAMs with or without a Wikimedian in Residence.

Expected outcomes

• Sharing what has been successful so far and what has been less so
• Welcome feedback about outreach and internal training sessions

Duration (without Q&A)

• 15 minutes

Interested attendees (Please add yourself, and you may indicate your questions to the presenter).

1. FRomeo (WMF) (talk) 13:29, 22 June 2022 (UTC)
2. I wanna hear all about it Rachel Helps (BYU) (talk) 16:56, 22 June 2022 (UTC)
3. An OSU faculty member, who teaches Native American Studies, was pleased to "partner" with the Smithsonian to work on indigenous Women's biographies for his class. I think this is a useful method for engaging more faculty members, because it always looks good to say "I partnered with the Smithsonian" on a dossier for tenure. Bridges2Information (talk) 20:51, 22 June 2022 (UTC)
4. EriedgenArc (talk) 12:15, 23 June 2022 (UTC)
5. Kclibrarian (talk) 15:29, 24 June 2022 (UTC)