Wikimedia and Libraries User Group/Meeting minutes/2018/March/12

Intro

For the first meeting of the new steering committee, we started by going over the history of the user group, and the role of the WMF (to assist not lead or vote). An official handoff from was made from the user group founders to the newly elected, independent steering committee. Everyone introduced themselves, shared their Wikipedia/Library backgrounds and what they’d like to do and see in the user group.

Brainstorm: "What do we want to accomplish?"

1. 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)
2. Move towards Wikipedia work being Business As Usual in libraries
3. Build the international community of Wikipedian librarians as a social professional and activist network, not just a reference resource
4. Educate librarians that Wikipedia is a community first, a research resource second
5. Educate librarians about how Wikipedia fits in with their profession, tenure and promotion requirements, open access movement, codes of ethics, etc
6. Make use of social media channels to help each other out during edit-a-thons, to exchange expertise and resources
7. Improve Wikipedia outreach and remote participation to rural libraries
8. Promote what Wikipedia Library actually provides to researchers and libraries--a lot of librarians don’t know that this exists.
9. Relieve anxiety about 'doing Wikipedia wrong' and get people excited to join
10. Present at library conferences and events
11. Explain "The Wikipedia Library" and how can it help those who already have resource access
12. Deepen understanding of how to engage with Global South libraries and librarians
13. Disseminate information about library news and trends happening on an international level
14. Highlight local, regional benefits from participating in Wikimedia
15. Showing library institutions how to build Wikipedia into their workflows and even their marketing (reference desk, skills & promotions, programming)
16. Get global access to Wikipedia Library resources with a single, unique account for all Wikimedians
17. Develop a consensus approach for the user group strategy itself
18. Make the usergroup a center of professional engagement, proactively coordinating outreach to library professionals and attendance at events
19. Changing perception of Wikipedia as an enemy or a competitor, but rather as a collaborator
20. Revive Wikipedia Loves Libraries
21. Expand campaigns like # 1lib1ref, and get librarians more involved in other campaigns
22. Turn # 1lib1ref from a campaign into a year-long, 24/7 branch (Or at least shift it so it isn’t in the middle of the southern hemisphere summer school holidays)

Communications

The group decided to continue using the pre-existing founding members' google group mailing list for official business. A new fully open list will be formed or selected for all user group members to participate in. The user group rename from "Wikipedia Library" to "Wikimedia and Libraries" is pending Affcom's next decision. The official user group contact at the moment is Gamaliel. The next meeting will be held in late March.