Hello, Wikimedia + Libraries folks!

Ahead of state and local elections this November, the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) Library, in collaboration with Harvard Library's Information & Technical Services and UX & Discovery departments, is hosting two civically engaged, participatory events focused on the Political Buttons at HKS Collection, which features nearly 3,000 buttons representing U.S. political history from 1904 through today.

The events will focus on improving collection metadata and investigating copyright status, enabling us to make collection items available on platforms beyond Harvard (e.g., ✨Wikimedia Commons✨) to expand the collection's reach and research potential. At the events, we'll also have information on how participants can register to vote in municipal elections taking place on November 4.

View event details and register:

• Research-A-Thon. In-person on Friday, October 17, 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Identify dates associated with the buttons of candidates who have run for political office.
• Copyright-A-Thon. Virtual via Zoom on Tuesday, October 28, 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Investigate the copyright status of candidate buttons with identified dates.

You are invited to participate in one (or more!) of three ways:

• Attend the event(s) yourself! Register using the links above.
• Spread the word about the events in your circles.
• Volunteer to support the events by testing participant instructions and/or staffing the event(s) day-of.

What would volunteering entail?

We are asking for your insight and support in one or both of two ways:

• By late September, review and test the draft documentation/instructions we plan to provide to participants. We estimate this will require approximately 2–3 hours, including a brief meeting.
• Help staff the events by answering participant questions and supporting their workflows. Time commitment varies depending on your availability but will involve attending a 45-minute onboarding meeting and staffing one or both 4-hour events.

If you are willing and able to provide support, please fill out this form to sign up.

By participating in and/or supporting these events, you will:

• Help to enhance Harvard's digital collections metadata to promote open knowledge and expand access.
• Promote copyright literacy and practice one method for determining a work's copyright status.
• Promote civic engagement by providing local voter registration information.
• Explore the many political campaigns run in the U.S. over the past century.

Warm thanks for considering. We hope to see you at one or both events!

—

Chelcie Juliet Rowell (she, they)

Associate Head of Digital Collections Discovery

UX & Discovery, Harvard Library