Wikipedia talk:Meetup/NYC/Scan-a-thon project

I support this scan-a-thon project

@RoySmith @ComplexRational @Jim.henderson @Pharos - I support this concept. Empowering Wikipedians with access to research tools is exactly what the chapter is for. I think that the Internet Archive would be a good group to consult about the prospects of this. Are there really enough scannable materials for it to be worthwhile? Would it be worth it for the chapter to own a scanner? Or could we rent or ask for subsidized/free time at a larger institution on their scanners? - Wil540 art (talk) 05:37, 5 February 2024 (UTC)

The ultimate goal is to get stuff digitized. I'm not fundamentally opposed to the idea of depending on an outside entity for the hardware, but I'm wary about entering into such an arrangement because then we would be beholden to their rules. When it could be used, how much it could be used, what materials we could scan, etc. I'm not saying it's impossible to make such a relationship work, but it's something to consider. On the other hand, there are vendors who do this stuff at scale, have figured it all out, and have high-end equipment we could never afford. Taking advantage of that would certainly be attractive. RoySmith (talk) 16:13, 5 February 2024 (UTC)

Perhaps the scanner desk should be in a WMNYC office space along with other things that need a space, such as a stash for our glorious banners and other portable gear and supplies. We have an office in Vinegar Hill / DUMBO where access is somewhat limited for security, so maybe we should pick either the margin of Downtown Brooklyn or the margin of Midtown Manhattan for our grand galactic headquarters and quit the other. Jim.henderson (talk) 15:19, 23 February 2024 (UTC)