Wikimedia CH/Newsletter/02/2017
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Please find Wikimedia CH's newsletter for the month of February
If you wish to share an event or activity through this newsletter, please feel free to send us a message at info@wikimedia.ch. Happy reading!
Association
editInterested in candidating for the Wikimedia CH board ? Contact us before the 11th March !
In anticipation of the next Wikimedia CH general assembly, which will take place on 8 April in Luzern (see below), we are looking for candidates willing to join our board!
In the past, it was not always clear for candidates what is expected from them once they are on the board -- and, perhaps even more importantly, what is not expected from them (for example, board members are not supposed to push for their favorite projects or to support particular causes), and how they can integrate themselves in an organization that is already established
In order to improve this situation, the board would like to ask all potential candidates to contact Frédéric Schütz (frederics.schutz@wikimedia.ch), or another member of the board, so that they have the opportunity to discuss these issues and get the information required as soon as possible. In addition, thanks to Frédéric, we are working on a Board handbook (available on this wiki), which documents the work of the board and the role of its members. Contributions, comments and questions are welcome, either directly or on the discussion page.
We are looking forward to your candidacy !
Reminder: governance review
Last September, this newsletter, we announced the start of a governance review, with the intent of discussing potential changes to the bylaws and the various Wikimedia CH policies (including creating new ones if needed). Despite the opinions that were expressed at various events last year, almost no member expressed any interest in this process. The board believes that these issues are important, and would really like to see members involved. Before assuming that our members are not interested, we'd like to reiterate our call: if you are interested in participating, or if you have suggestions about the changes required, please have a look and contribute to corresponding page on our members wiki or contact Frédéric Schütz (frederics.schutz@wikimedia.ch) for more information.
Announcement
editSave the date for WMCH's general Assembly in Lucerne on the Saturday 8th April
Wikimedia CH's next General Assembly will be taking place at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.
As of today the program for the day is as follow:
- 10h15-14h00: WMCH General Assembly
- 14h00-15h00: Standing lunch/catering
- 15h00-15h45: Podium Discussion (with people from the uni, Wikimedia and Wikitolearn)
- 15h45-18h00: 2 workshops
One about becoming a new Wikipedia contributor and a second one about Wikitolearn for people teaching at the University.
You may read further about these events via our website.
What is coming up next?
editSave the date: Art & Feminism 2017 is happening in Switzerland during the month of March
Art + Feminism is a rhizomatic campaign aimed at improving the representation of women artists in Wikipedia and reducing the gender gap. Through workshops open to all, it takes shape throughout the world, on the different language versions of Wikipedia. In 2017 the marathon will take place on several dates as well as in several cities in Switzerland, from 1 to 5th March in Geneva, 4th March in Lausanne, and 11th March in Basel and Lugano.
Join us in Geneva
Join us in Lausanne
Join us in Basel
Join us in Lugano
Join the Wikimedia Hackathon 2017 in Vienna
The Wikimedia Hackathon is a major event that brings together developers from all around the world to improve the technological infrastructure of Wikipedia, particularly the MediaWiki platform on which it is based, and the Wikimedia code development. This is your opportunity to meet the Wikimedia tech community, learn about the technologies and projects that power Wikipedia and thousands of other MediaWiki based websites and propose or join a demo-able project to hack on during the event.
Developers new to Wikimedia and tech-curious editors are also welcome!
Just bring your laptop, ideas, and energy to contribute – we promise a great event, cool atmosphere and an inspiring venue! We also want to make the event family friendly, so check out our family room and childcare options in case you want to bring your loved ones. Check out this link to discover more about the event and contact the Wikimedia CH team if you wish to apply for a scholarship via info@wikimedia.ch.
March: Contribution month for the French speaking Wikipedia"
March celebrates the french speaking wikimedia projects. Check out the full list of events through this link. For instance, join us on the 16th and 30th March from 11am to 4 pm for Wikipedia workshops at the Library of Art and Archeology in Geneva to celebrate the month of French contributions
Save the dates: Women Edit Switzerland 2017
Save the dates for Wikipedia Editing-Sessions for Women in 2017: March 29th, May 11th, September 19th, October 18th and November 16th at the Impact Hub in Zurich from 6:30 to 9pm.
Sounds from the Cantonal Archives of Jura (ArCJ) The Cantonal Archives of the Canton Jura are currently uploading in Wikimedia Commons the digital files of the Constituent Assembly and of the sessions of the local Parliament up until 1990. These are sounds that have been digitized by the National Sound Archive of Lugano from the original Revox tapes. The transcriptions are available for public consultation, but having the actual sound can help to understand those events better related to the birth of the last Swiss canton. They have a relevant historical value as they document all the activities done during these sessions and all discussions about the rights to be included in the new cantonal constitution. One of the most relevant discussion is one concerning the theme of gender equality, an exceptional event for Switzerland 5 years following women's legal right to vote.
The registration for GLAM-on-Tour in Freiburg (28th April/1st May) is now open
The registration page for the 2nd GLAM-on-tour in Freiburg is open. It will take place from 28th April to 1st May. Right within the Röstigraben, the bilingual event is concerned with the topic of Gutenberg and the counter-Reformation. In addition to the classical writing workshop on this complex theme, there will be lectures, a museum tour and a guided tour of the city with historical stations of the counter-Reformation. Entrance to the museum is free for the participants. In addition, a digital copy of the Froschauer Bible, which is located in the Museum's collection, will be produced to be uploaded on Wikimedia Commons. If you are interested, feel free to read further about the event and register to participate via the project page in German.
List of events
editYou may also consult the upcoming list of all the events happening in Switzerland through the Wikimedia CH website.
About recent events
editMagnus Manske's conference
On the 4th February, Magnus Manske gave a presentation on the history of Mediawiki and of the future of Wikimedia projects at the Impact Hub in Bern. 20 attendees were present and were provided the opportunity to address questions and to speak directly with him. Wikimedia CH would like to thank all the people who have contributed to the success of this event, especially Magnus as well as all the attendees. We wish to organize similar events in future and to facilitate the meetings with relevant personalities in the Wikimedia universe, please feel free to provide us suggestions of workshops and conferences you would be interested in attending.
International GLAM meeting in Paris
From the 16th to 18th February, the GLAM coordinators of the European chapters and wikipedians involved in GLAM projects had a three days meeting in Paris to present projects, to introduce initiatives and to share tools. The event was hosted in the UNESCO building in Paris and representatives of UNESCO joined during the workshops. This has been the second edition of this event and had 32 participants, including members of Europeana and of the European Space Agency, therefore multiplying by two the number of participants from the first edition. Some presentations are available in a category in Commons project like photos. Wikimedia Switzerland shared a presentation about the use of metrics for GLAM projects.
Call for action
edit
Wikipedia for Peace
The project "Wikipedia for peace" is organised as a "workcamp", where people from different backgrounds come together for about two weeks to write and edit content about topics related to peace on Wikipedia. Wikipedia for Peace took place for the first time in 2015 in Vienna and is a community project organised by Wikimedia Österreich and Service Civil International Austria.
In 2017 we would love to get involved by providing scholarships for people from Switzerland to attend a "Wikipedia for Peace" camp. If you're interested to get active in this amazing project, please get in touch with Gabrielle. Please note that you would need to be available from March 30 - April 4 for a training as well as be willing to conduct one to two "Wikipedia for Peace" sessions in your city of origin. We're excited and are looking forward to receive your e-mail!
We need you for the National Archives day 9th June 2017
Wikimedia CH is currently on the lookout for motivated volunteers who wish to participate & help support Archives across Switzerland who wish to host edit-a-thons during the National Archives day on the 9th June 2017. This project is the result fo the collaboration between VSA-AAS and WMCH in order to help promote free knowledge. It is the opportunity to explain to Archives across Switzerland the importance of opening up content and helping them to put it up on Wikimedia projects, you may read more information here. Check out the wikipedia project pages and feel free to add your username.
Should you wish to join or learn more about this initiative please contact: gabrielle.marie[at]wikimedia.ch.