Wikimedia Community User Group Uganda/Wikisource Uganda 101

Wikisource is a free online library of primary sources hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. It is a digital archive of texts, books, documents, and other written works that are either in the public domain or have been released under a free license.

Rotating Wikisource globe

Wikisource Uganda 101 will be offered to editors to expand their participation in Wikimedia projects. They wil be equipped with the fundamental skills they need in order to contribute to Wikisource

Scope and duration

Wikisource 101 will take place during the month of September 2024. The sessions will be in- person though some guest presenters will present online.

Objectives

Wikisource Uganda 101 aims to :

1. Recruit new users to the project and to the Wikimedia community ;
2. Enable editors to appreciate the presence of archives and digitisation in the information value chain ;
3. Foster an understanding of the basics of Wikisource , including its mission, scope, and policies ;
4. Equip editors with skills to contribute to Wikisource including editing, proofreading and validation ;
5. Encourage editors to apply knowledge and skills by completing practical exercises ;

Contest board

This is the link to the dedicated Wikisource contest tool board

Activities

Period	Activity	Location	Resources
Week 1 : Saturday 07 September 0900 - 1500	Introduction to Wikisource The Wikiverse and the user group Interactive session (participants expectations) The meaning and importance of archives Archives and the public domain User accounts set-up completion Introduction to Wikisource	National Library of Uganda	Link to slides : Introduction to Wikisource
Week 2 : Saturday 14 September	Major edits on Wikisource Introduction to the Wikisource interface Introduction to the Wikisource contest board Introduction to proofreading and validation Selection of texts	Goethe Zentrum Kampala	Link to slides : Major edits on Wikisource Link to video : An introduction to proofreading by Sam Wilson Proofread of the week 1 : Self-Government for Uganda An African State Manifesto by the Progressive Party Proofread of the week 2 : Uganda by Pen and Camera
Week 3 : Saturday 12 October	Adding value to content in Wikisource Sources of content for Wikisource Selection of texts for Wikisource IA Upload tool Exporting and indexing	Goethe Zentrum Kampala	Link to the Internet Archive Link to the IA Upload tool Video 1 : Import books from Internet Archive to Wikisource (Ewan McAndrew) Video 2 : Import books from Internet Archive to Wikisource (Sam Wilson) Link to local training session with Sam Wilson Proofread of the week : Uganda and The Egyptian Soudan
Week 4 : Saturday 19 October	Adding value to Wikisource Transcribing and indexing Dealing with images in Wikisource and Wikimedia Commons (activating features) Proofreading and validating of selected texts	Goethe Zentrum Kampala	Proofread of the week : Growls from Uganda
Week 5 : Saturday 26 October	Our future in Wikisource Opportunities in Wikisource (representative from the Wikisource User Group ) Review of participant expectations and future plans Cohort graduation and celebration	National Library of Uganda	Proofread of the week : The Story of the Life of Mackay of Uganda Told for Boys

Selected works

1. Self-Government for Uganda An African State Manifesto by the Progressive Party
2. Uganda by Pen and Camera
3. Uganda and The Egyptian Soudan
4. Growls from Uganda
5. The Story of the Life of Mackay of Uganda Told for Boys

Selected works to be indexed

1. The Story of the Life of Mackay of Uganda Told for Boys (Catherine and Carol)
2. Soldiering and sport in Uganda 1909-1910 (Matthew and Claire)
3. The wonderful story of Uganda (Stella and Ben)
4. Under the African sun; a description of native races in Uganda, sporting adventures and other experiences (Leah and Alice)
5. Growls from Uganda (Isabella and Divine)
6. Dayspring in Uganda (Isabella)

Resources developed

Under the project, we were able to translate the Wikisource proofreading and editing guides into Luganda.

**Please note that these are still under progress

1. Wikisource proofreading in Luganda : Link to document
2. Wikisource validating and transcluding in Luganda : Link to document

Achievements

1. The National Library of Uganda was able to give us access to newspaper archives
2. We were able to engage professional archivists from Uganda's Public Service Ministry who educated us more about the National Records and Archives Act, 2001 and how it affects information access and consumption;
3. We were able to engage students of Library & Information Science as well as Records & Archives Management from Makerere University and Kyambogo University respectively. From these we trained at least 10 new editors in Wikisource.
4. The Wikisource User Group were involved and got us guest presenters from the wider community ;
5. The participants reported that they were able to master Wikisource's markup language

Challenges

1. Some of the participants lacked laptops and access to computers so they could not easily do their assignments during the week ;
2. Most of the participants were students so it was a challenge balancing school demands and participation in Wikimedia projects ;
3. We were limited to editing in English as the Luganda Wikisource platform is not yet up ;
4. The Internet Archive was hacked so we were not able to teach a certain part of the course in relation to importing books into Wikimedia Commons ;
5. Interference from experienced editors meant that lot of the work we did as a group could sometimes be undone with no notice ;

Learning points and opportunities

1. More practice time in Wikisource 102 to help build confidence. Future cohorts will benefit from extended sessions.
2. Focusing more on the available local content to diversify Wikisource