*Here's your quick overview of what has been happening around Wikidata in theweek leading up to 2026-01-12. Missed the previous one? See issue #713 https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wikidata:Status_updates/Previous.*
*Discussions*
- New requests for permissions/Bot: AmeisenBot 3 https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Requests_for_permissions/Bot/AmeisenBot_3 - *Task/s:* Adding descriptions (and possibly labels and aliases as well) to items based on their statements. - New CheckUser requests: Saroj https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Requests_for_permissions/CheckUser/Saroj (RfP scheduled to end at 25 January 2026 09:31 UTC)
*Events*
- Upcoming events https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wikidata:Events: - The next Wikidata+Wikibase office hours https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Events#Office_hours will take place on Wednesday, 18:00 CEST https://zonestamp.toolforge.org/1768410000, 14th January 2026 in the Wikidata Telegram group https://t.me/joinchat/IeCRo0j5Uag1qR4Tk8Ftsg. The Wikidata and Wikibase office hours are online events where the development team presents what they have been working on over the past quarter, and the community is welcome to ask questions and discuss important issues related to the development of Wikidata and Wikibase. - WMF Wikidata Platform team https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikidata_Platform is launching a new office hours series starting *January 27th* https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Event:Blazegraph_Migration_Office_Hours_-_January_2026, 2026 and continuing on the first Tuesday of each month. The scope of this series is be limited to Blazegraph migration https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:SPARQL_query_service/WDQS_backend_update support for the entirety of 2026. Participants are encouraged to register in advance for each session and may optionally add a brief description of their migration-related questions to the shared Etherpad https://etherpad.wikimedia.org/p/Blazegraph_Migration_Office_Hours to help guide preparation. *See Blazegraph Migration office hour page https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Blazegraph_Migration_Office_Hours for more details*
*Press, articles, blog posts, videos*
- Blogs: Wikidata at 13: Fante Wikimedians Joins the Celebration https://diff.wikimedia.org/2026/01/05/wikidata-at-13-fante-wikimedians-joins-the-celebration/ - Papers: Structuring the Sights and Stories of Pausanias with Wikidata https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003584155-3/structuring-sights-stories-pausanias-wikidata-john-brady-kiesling-anna-foka-kyriaki-konstantinidou-linda-talatas-elton-barker - The Digital Periegesis project leverages Wikidata and linked open data tools to annotate, disambiguate, and connect Pausanias’s complex 2nd‑century text, enhancing accessibility, interoperability, and scholarly engagement with Greece’s historical and mythological landscape. By Kiesling et al., (2025) - Videos: (Papiamento) Wikipedia on Aruba | Episode 8: How to add a new topic (item) to Wikidata https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PukvB8Viw_0
*Tool of the week*
- Knowledge Train https://knowledgetrain.toolforge.org/ A game to create a train of knowledge with the power of Wikidata - User:Athulvis
*Other Noteworthy Stuff*
- Mobile statement editing is now available as a beta feature on Wikidata https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikidata@lists.wikimedia.org/thread/MAKNPEWKTYJAJTIIDM6MWU3YMA5KHSXB/. Enable the Beta feature in your preferences settings, head to Wikidata Sandbox (Q4115189) https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4115189 (in mobile view) to test it and share your feedback here: Mobile editing of statements https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata_talk:Usability_and_usefulness/Item_editing_experience/Mobile_editing_of_statements . - The WMF Wikidata Platform team https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikidata_Platform has published its January 2026 newsletter https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Wikidata_Platform_team/Newsletter. It includes updates on the legacy full-graph endpoint decommissioning, the User-Agent policy change, the monthly Blazegraph migration office hours, and efforts to reduce regressions caused by the legacy endpoint shutdown. To have new issues of the WDP *monthly* newsletter delivered to your user talk page, Subscribe to WDP newsletter! https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Global_message_delivery/Targets/WDP_team_updates
*Newest properties https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Special:ListProperties and property proposals https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wikidata:Property_proposal to review*
- Newest General datatypes: common organism https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Property:P14067 (organisms known by this common name) - Newest External identifiers: Boosty author ID https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Property:P14059, Before I Play game ID https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Property:P14060, Korea Heritage Service Heritage Portal ID https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Property:P14061, KaraokeTexty.cz artist ID https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Property:P14062, KaraokeTexty.cz song ID https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Property:P14063, Showlabs ID https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Property:P14064, DEUMM Online ID https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Property:P14065, Slekt og Data cemetery ID https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Property:P14066, Biblioteca Nacional de Colombia ID https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Property:P14068, EZB library ID https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Property:P14069, topic of Dictionary of Canadian biography identifier https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Property:P14070, Cover Art Archive image https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Property:P14071, X broadcast ID https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Property:P14072, Theaterencyclopedie ID https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Property:P14073, Maitron biography ID (new version) https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Property:P14074, Scilit organization ID https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Property:P14075, Fragrantica perfume ID https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Property:P14076, Fragrantica perfume brand ID https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Property:P14077, izoh.uz word ID https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Property:P14078, Place Names and Places of Nova Scotia ID https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Property:P14079, Fragrantica perfume notes ID https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Property:P14080, Fragrantica perfumer ID https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Property:P14081, Parfumo perfume brand ID https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Property:P14082, Parfumo perfumer ID https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Property:P14083, Parfumo perfume ID https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Property:P14084, Parfumo fragrance notes ID https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Property:P14085 - New General datatypes property proposals to review: - Artistagraph ID https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Property_proposal/Artistagraph_ID (Identifies the Artistagraph for an artistIdentifier for creative works on Artistagraph, a platform for documenting and discovering artist information and creative work connections) - number of tunnel tubes https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Property_proposal/number_of_tunnel_tubes (Number of parallel tubes in a tunnel.) - New External identifier property proposals to review:: Mapillary sequence ID https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Property_proposal/Mapillary_sequence_ID , People's Graphic Design Archive creator ID https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Property_proposal/People%27s_Graphic_Design_Archive_creator_ID , Uni24k indentifier https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Property_proposal/Uni24k_indentifier , Brussels BeStAddress municipality ID https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Property_proposal/Brussels_BeStAddress_municipality_ID , Brussels BeStAddress street name ID https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Property_proposal/Brussels_BeStAddress_street_name_ID , Brussels BeStAddress address ID https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Property_proposal/Brussels_BeStAddress_address_ID , Wikifunctions object https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Property_proposal/Wikifunctions_object , MAX username https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Property_proposal/MAX_username, Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei ID https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Property_proposal/Accademia_Nazionale_dei_Lincei_ID , The Retro Web company ID https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Property_proposal/The_Retro_Web_company_ID , Schulnummer Berlin https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Property_proposal/Schulnummer_Berlin , KCI article ID https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Property_proposal/KCI_article_ID
You can comment on all open property proposals https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Property_proposal/Overview!
*Did you know?*
- Query examples: - Timeline of coup d'états https://w.wiki/HKna - All towns named Versailles https://w.wiki/HMYd - Showcase Items https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Showcase_items : mojito https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q487338 - traditional Cuban highball cocktail
*Development*
- Mobile editing of statements: We have released the first version of mobile statement editing as a beta feature (see details above). In addition we are improving it further and are adding missing functionality to get it ready for a full release. This includes adding editing support for additional data types such as date and musical notation. - Blazegraph replacement: The Wikidata platform team is continuing their evaluation of alternative backends for the Wikidata Query Service. - Graph QL: We are continuing to work on the prototype to get it ready for wider testing and are waiting on a security review. - Dumps: We fixed an issue where the "latest" symlinks to data dumps weren't working correctly. - Wikidata integration in the Wikimedia projects: We are investigating how to further reduce the number of unnecessary changes showing up in watchlist and recent changes coming from Wikidata. The work on this is also helping reduce the size of the recent changes database table, which is especially important on larger Wikipedias. In addition we are continuing to improve the Databox module to make it easier for smaller Wikipedias to get Wikidata-powered infoboxes.
You can see all open tickets related to Wikidata here https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/maniphest/query/4RotIcw5oINo/#R. If you want to help, you can also have a look at the tasks needing a volunteer https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/project/board/71/query/zfiRgTnZF7zu/?filter=zfiRgTnZF7zu&order=priority .
*Weekly Tasks*
- Add labels, in your own language(s), for the new properties listed above https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Status_updates/Next#Newest_properties_and_property_proposals_to_review . - Contribute to the showcase Item and Lexeme above https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Status_updates/Next#Did_you_know? . - Govdirectory weekly focus country: Kazakhstan https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:WikiProject_Govdirectory/Kazakhstan - Summarize your WikiProject's ongoing activities https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Status_updates/Next#Did_you_know? in one or two sentences. - Help translate https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Special:LanguageStats or proofread the interface and documentation pages, in your own language! - Help merge identical items https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/User:Pasleim/projectmerge across Wikimedia projects. - Help write the next summary! https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Status_updates/Next
*· Previous issue https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wikidata:Status_updates/Previous · JosefAnthony https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/User:JosefAnthony talk https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/User_talk:JosefAnthony ·*
Idoko Joseph (JosefAnthony)
Wikimedia Volunteer | Open Knowledge Advocate
*View my contributions https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:JosefAnthony/Contributions*