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Wikimedia and Libraries User Group/Meeting minutes/2018/April/9

< Wikimedia and Libraries User Group | Meeting minutes | 2018

April 9-10, 2018

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1. The committee voted in favour of using the existing libraries lists.wikimedia.org mailing list for open communication

2. Following the first meeting of the new steering committee on March 12-13, 22 ideas were expressed regarding the results we wanted to achieve as a User Group. Later on, discussion among the steering committee surfaced the need to break down these ideas into means and ends while limiting it to 5 most relevant ones. The result of the poll conducted to determine the most relevant ones are given below:

What should be our 5 primaries? (Means)

  1. Present at library conference and events (4)
  2. Make use of social media channels to help each other out during edit-a-thons, to exchange expertise and resources (4)
    • Where are the events? Can we use the user group landing page as a place to direct people to people or events that would be helpful?
  3. Showing library institutions how to build Wikipedia into their workflows and even their marketing (reference desk, skills & promotions, programming) (4)
  4. Roll out the Wikipedia + Libraries OCLC-style course on a global scale, not necessarily as one big event, but as multiple events in different regions/timezones (in 3 modules: reading and usage, editing, programming) (4)
  5. Expand campaigns like 1Lib1Ref and get librarians more involved in other campaigns (4)

What should be our 5 primary goals? (Ends)

  1. Changing perception of Wikipedia as an enemy or a competitor, but rather as a collaborator (4)
    • Means:
      • present at library conferences and events
        • Needs money unless funded by employer
      • Twitter possibly may be “super communicators”
        • Backchannel during the conference on hashtags
        • New graduate librarians, identify librarian chat sessions (eg. @ALIANewGrads
        • IFLA groups (eg @IflaPls  ; @IFLA_FAIFE ; @IflaAsiaOceania ; @wil_ifla ; …) other professional groups (eg @LIBEReurope ; @lianzaoffice ; @ALIANational ; @ALALibrary ; @NMLib_Assn; @LIASANews ; @AfLIACon …. )
      • Email (the mailing list discussed above)
      • Facebook
      • Can see engagement from #1lib1ref in Africa. Pointing to blog posts on the website. Sharing posters and flyers.
      • Library journals (eg Journal of New Librarianship; Evidence Based Library and Information Practice journal ;
      • International Community of Wikipedian Librarians
      • Important that the message is coming from other librarians rather than Wikipedians
      • Some kind of promotional campaign to get people onto our mailing list or Facebook or Twitter etc, which probably means using existing non-Wikipedia related channels to reach librarians
      • Build up a library of resources to re-use (re-use existing GLAM case study materials?) Create a new portal into it from our website, etc, selecting only those which are directly relevant
      • Librarians who Wikipedia material, first-person “I’m Wendy. I’m a librarian and I’m a Wikipedian”, could be text/podcast/video
      • Try to title them to draw the attention of particular groups: university librarians, programs for middle school etc
  2. Build the international community of Wikipedian librarians as a social professional and activist network, not just a reference resource (4)
    • Draws on some of the above
  3. Educate librarians about how Wikipedia fits in with their profession, tenure and promotion requirements, open access movement, codes of ethics, etc. (4)
    • Need to target library bosses and library educators
  4. Make the user group a centre of professional engagement, proactively coordinating outreach to library professionals and attendance at events (3)
    • Draws on some of the above
  5. Move towards Wikipedia work being Business As Usual in libraries (3)
    • Need to target library bosses and library educators
  6. Deepen understanding of how to engage with libraries and librarians from under-represented regions (3)
    • We need a full discussion here
  7. Educate librarians that Wikipedia is a community first, a research resource second(3)
    • Draws on some of the above

3. Consideration overall for communications: thinking about messaging: what is the message and what is the call to action? How can they find out more? Need a communications plan:

  • Who do we want to communicate with?
  • What channels should we use to talk to them?
  • What messages do we want to give them?
  • What call to action do we want them to do?
  • Some messaging is aimed at practitioners, some at leaders and library educators?

4. Timing of #1lib1ref

  • One time of year where there are excitement and momentum, but also an event that could happen at any time.
  • In June, will be a discussion about when #1lib1ref will land if it will continue to be in January or be repositioned in May or some other time of year.
  • Need a discussion about how to improve #1lib1ref -- going beyond CitationHunt, build competitive spirit.
  • [Incomplete]

5. Strategic plan - [yet to be devised]

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