Wikipedia:Meetup/olasuperconference

Event information

As trusted knowledge mediators, libraries have a responsibility to help improve the presence of Canadian culture on Wikimedia platforms. In this edit-a-thon, participants will ensure their own libraries are represented on Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons, and Wikipedia, and be better prepared to lead edit-a-thons in their own communities. Outcomes: Inspire libraries and archives to organize Wikipedia and Wikidata edit-a-thons with their communities; create as well as provide information.

When: Thursday, Feb 01 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm

Location: Metro Toronto Conference Centre (MTCC) - 203AB

Presentation: workshop slides

Sign up for a Wikipedia account

Participants

Atrium, Scott Library, York University

What can I work on?

Wikipedia

If your library already has a page you can consider adding further factual information such as:

historical information
information about branches
architecture
founder
information about unique collections.

It is important to remember to keep a neutral tone to your writing. You do not want your article to sound like a promotional piece.

Articles about Canadian libraries

List of public libraries in Ontario ( 50 ) on Wikipedia.
List of academic libraries in Canada ( 33 ) on Wikipedia.

#1Lib1Ref

Add a citation to an article about a Canadian library!

The 3rd iteration of the #1Lib1Ref is on now. The premise is very simple, if every librarian added one citation information on Wikipedia would be more accurate and verifiable. Be sure to add the #1Lib1Ref hashtag in your edit summary!

These libraries need citations added to their pages: Zotero group library

Wikimedia Commons

Wikipedia Commons is a repository of digital material. It is primarily made up of images. If you want to illustrate your Wikipedia article, you need to add it to Commons first. A point to remember:

You must have permission of the rights holder to upload, or the content must be in the public domain or freely licensed.

You can make Commons:Picture requests

Wikimedia Commons Library Categories

Wikidata

Donating data to Wikidata

Guide to adding and editing libraries on Wikidata

Get your (neighbour's) library on Wikidata

To avoid a conflict of interest, you shouldn't work on your own library. But hopefully you're sitting with someone who brought references and media about their library, so that they can work on adding or improving your library's presence on Wikidata, while you work on their library. Quid pro quo, make a friend, etc!

Put the J. N. Desmarais Library on Wikidata

To avoid a conflict of interest, Laurentian University has not yet had any of its libraries described on Wikidata. You can fix that! J. N. Desmarais Library references contains a useful reference, some suggested values, and a photo you can upload to Wikimedia Commons.

You can also use the references to add some basic info about the library to the Laurentian University Wikipedia page, where it currently is not mentioned!

General quick wins for Canadian libraries

If nobody near you has materials ready to help you get their library on Wikidata, there is still a lot of good you can do to help improve the representation of Canadian libraries in Wikidata:

Add coordinates to these libraries so they will show up on a map
Specify a more exact type than "library" so we can distinguish between academic and public libraries
Search for libraries you know and add "country: Canada" if it's missing (we can't list Canadian libraries if we don't know they're in Canada!)
Add street addresses ("located at street address")
Add phone numbers
Add references that support statements (you might find good references in the corresponding Wikipedia article)

Resources for editing

Beginner's guide to editing Wikipedia
How to maintain a Wikipedia:Neutral point of view
How to avoid conflict of interest
How to ensure Wikipedia:Verifiability including what does and does not count as a reliable source
Wikipedia:Notability guidelines
Citing sources
Using the free citation management software Zotero to cite sources
How to use images in articles
Video on adding images to Wikmedia Commons [1]

Asking for help and resolving disputes

Post a question on the talk page of another Wikipedia User's talk page
Ask a question to the Wikipedia Teahouse question board
Resources for resolving disputes: Wikipedia:Dispute resolution, Wikipedia:Etiquette, Wikipedia:Staying cool when the editing gets hot

Further resources

Zotero group folder for OLA SuperCon
Wikipedia:Meetup/ArtAndFeminism meetup page - they offer wonderful tutorials and an edit-a-thon toolkit that can be repurposed
Libguide for Music in Canada edit-a-thon at Western University
Slides for training library staff at Music in Canada edit-a-thon at Western
BAnQ scan-a-thon page