Jon,
The point is be nice, and respectful, to the library staff. I was having
to stop laughing when Fiona was telling me that "they know a good
Wikipedia article by the number of cited references". Without any input
from us they've figured out how to judge article quality - they are
people we want to recruit.
I've done 'stubs' on Leith Library[1], Stockbridge Library[2], and
McDonald Road Library[3].
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leith_Library
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockbridge_library
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonald_Road_Library
The 7th of July is the 125th anniversary of Andrew Carnegie laying the
foundation stone for Edinburgh's Central Library. If there's anything we
can do to get them main page mentions (DYK?) then we'll have an entire
city's ibrary staff onside.
Unlike most of the UK, Edinburgh City Council left libraries in the
hands of the public. The response to surveys was that £300,000 was put
_back_ into the library budget. I think the city deserves recognised for
that, and it should be a priority to document their libraries. Once
we've done so there is a basis to do outreach to the non-natives (Hindi,
Arabic, etc speakers) and get translations. Considering how many kids do
homework in libraries we can also 'stomp on' plagiarism and educate a
really wide swathe of the public.
Brian McNeil
--
Wikinews, Accredited Reporter. Personal: brian.mcneil(a)o2.co.uk
"Facts don't cease to be facts, but news ceases to be news."
> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: Re: [Wikimediauk-l] Lum Hats in Paradise
> From: Jon Davies <jon.davies(a)wikimedia.org.uk>
> Date: Tue, May 22, 2012 1:15 pm
> To: wikimediauk-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org
>
>
> I hope we will be jumping at your offer! Brilliant work,
>
> On Tue, May 22, 2012 at 1:03 PM, <brian.mcneil(a)wikinewsie.org> wrote:
>
> > Hola! From a non-Wikipedian Wikimedian - in Edinburgh - who is delighted
> > with the response from some tentative outreach work.
> >
> > I spend around an hour this morning touring Edingburgh's Central Library
> > with Fiona Myles, took around 150 photos of the interior of the
> > building, and _hope_ I've laid the groundwork for us to work far more
> > closely in future.
> >
> > I have, dependent on copyright, a verbal agreement to get high-res scans
> > of the plans of the building (A Carnegie Library), a keen interest to
> > have librarians briefed on Wikipedia - if not outright encouraged to
> > contribute, and the possibility of running recruitment/induction
> > sessions in Edinburgh. Which, for the unwashed masses, is a UNESCO City
> > of Literature.
> >
> > Given the piss-poor representation up here in Scotland, I think that's a
> > major win. My next job, as interim 'cowboy liasion' between Wikimedia UK
> > and Museums Galleries Scotland is to get a few councillors calling for
> > all publicly funded publications to be under a CC-BY license.
> >
> > Any, and all, encouragement welcome. Any Englandshire Wikimedians wh
> > plan to visit Edingburgh in the next 6-12 months, please feel free to
> > drop me a mail. If I can get you meetings with people, or privileged
> > access for photography, I will.
> >
> > Fun and frivolity aside, with limited Internet access I've come to the
> > conclusion that public libraries are the way to recruit. Brief the staff
> > of what makes a good Wikipedia article - half of them know already -
> > then a simple static display may encourage locals to try their hand.
> > Here in Edinburgh I suspect I can, without too many problems, get
> > articles put into about a half-dozen languages with keen help from
> > library staff.
> >
> > And this message's title? Purloined from a book on the city's libraries.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Brian McNeil
> > --
> > Wikinews, Accredited Reporter. Personal: brian.mcneil(a)o2.co.uk
> > "Facts don't cease to be facts, but news ceases to be news."
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> > wikimediauk-l(a)wikimedia.org
> > http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediauk-l
> > WMUK: http://uk.wikimedia.org
> >
>
>
>
> --
> *Jon Davies - Chief Executive Wikimedia UK*. 07976 935 986
> tweet @jonatreesdavies
>
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David,
I can't get on a bus without hearing Polish, Czech, Arabic, and many
more well-known European languages. These people are also 'hardened
regulars' in terms of turning up in local libraries.
The one I count as 'most awesome' is that the library staff, with zero
input from Wikimedians, have figured out the more little [1][2][3] etc,
the more reliable and article is, and those are links to sources that
should be used as references.
I intend to be _particularly_ bold if I properly get some of the
council/library staff onside and ask them to push for all publications
to be put out under CC-BY. I suspect I can do a 'Jedi Mind Trick' on our
couple of Green councillors and get them to agree to such. At-issue is
persuading a few more that using such could cut costs (suckers like me
will take loads of photos for free) and the open-access of the documents
will see the message more widely spread.
Brian McNeil
--
Wikinews, Accredited Reporter. Personal: brian.mcneil(a)o2.co.uk
"Facts don't cease to be facts, but news ceases to be news."
> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: Re: [Wikimediauk-l] Lum Hats in Paradise
> From: David Gerard <dgerard(a)gmail.com>
> Date: Tue, May 22, 2012 2:12 pm
> To: wikimediauk-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org
>
>
> On 22 May 2012 13:03, <brian.mcneil(a)wikinewsie.org> wrote:
>
> > Given the piss-poor representation up here in Scotland, I think that's a
> > major win. My next job, as interim 'cowboy liasion' between Wikimedia UK
> > and Museums Galleries Scotland is to get a few councillors calling for
> > all publicly funded publications to be under a CC-BY license.
>
>
> I think you've just become the local office ;-p
>
>
>
> > Fun and frivolity aside, with limited Internet access I've come to the
> > conclusion that public libraries are the way to recruit. Brief the staff
> > of what makes a good Wikipedia article - half of them know already -
> > then a simple static display may encourage locals to try their hand.
> > Here in Edinburgh I suspect I can, without too many problems, get
> > articles put into about a half-dozen languages with keen help from
> > library staff.
>
>
> That is *absolutely brilliant*. Newbies creating Wikipedia articles
> with lots of book references? It's hard to get better than that!
>
>
> - d.
>
> _______________________________________________
> Wikimedia UK mailing list
> wikimediauk-l(a)wikimedia.org
> http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediauk-l
> WMUK: http://uk.wikimedia.org
Hola! From a non-Wikipedian Wikimedian - in Edinburgh - who is delighted
with the response from some tentative outreach work.
I spend around an hour this morning touring Edingburgh's Central Library
with Fiona Myles, took around 150 photos of the interior of the
building, and _hope_ I've laid the groundwork for us to work far more
closely in future.
I have, dependent on copyright, a verbal agreement to get high-res scans
of the plans of the building (A Carnegie Library), a keen interest to
have librarians briefed on Wikipedia - if not outright encouraged to
contribute, and the possibility of running recruitment/induction
sessions in Edinburgh. Which, for the unwashed masses, is a UNESCO City
of Literature.
Given the piss-poor representation up here in Scotland, I think that's a
major win. My next job, as interim 'cowboy liasion' between Wikimedia UK
and Museums Galleries Scotland is to get a few councillors calling for
all publicly funded publications to be under a CC-BY license.
Any, and all, encouragement welcome. Any Englandshire Wikimedians wh
plan to visit Edingburgh in the next 6-12 months, please feel free to
drop me a mail. If I can get you meetings with people, or privileged
access for photography, I will.
Fun and frivolity aside, with limited Internet access I've come to the
conclusion that public libraries are the way to recruit. Brief the staff
of what makes a good Wikipedia article - half of them know already -
then a simple static display may encourage locals to try their hand.
Here in Edinburgh I suspect I can, without too many problems, get
articles put into about a half-dozen languages with keen help from
library staff.
And this message's title? Purloined from a book on the city's libraries.
Brian McNeil
--
Wikinews, Accredited Reporter. Personal: brian.mcneil(a)o2.co.uk
"Facts don't cease to be facts, but news ceases to be news."
Is there anyone in the London area who is particularly au fait with
Toolserver who would be available for a meeting around late may/early June?
We can pay reasonable travel expenses. We're got an organisation interested
in getting involved in a partnership of sorts, but we need to work out if
it's technically feasible - and for that I need someone who uses toolserver
often, and understand the community there well.
Richard Symonds
Wikimedia UK
0207 065 0992
Disclaimer viewable at
http://uk.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia:Email_disclaimer
Visit http://www.wikimedia.org.uk/ and @wikimediauk
The British Museum have kindly agreed a free group tour round their
exhibition, which opens soon. It will be in September, at 9 a.m on a
Thursday. Please express an interest, and any preference for the 6th,
13th or 27th, at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:GLAM/BM/2012#Shakespeare:_staging_th….
To be followed by a meeting with a curator.
John
I'm trying to decide if I'm going to head over to Monmouth tomorrow,
but I can't seem to find any instructions on how to get there...
Wikipedia says it doesn't have a train station any more, so what is
the recommended way to get from London to Monmouth?
It may well be that there are instructions somewhere that I've missed
- if so, can someone give me a link?
Thanks!
I should have said; I can offer lifts from North Birmingham-Monmouth
on Saturday, or pick up en route. Share costs.
--
Andy Mabbett
@pigsonthewing
http://pigsonthewing.org.uk