Wikimediauk-l November 2014

wikimediauk-l@lists.wikimedia.org

37 participants
35 discussions

Magna Carta
by Rod Ward 28 Jan '15

28 Jan '15

Hi all, An article in this weeks observer (see http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/nov/01/magna-carta-800-celebrates-a… ) points out that it will be the 800th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta next year (15 June 2015) and suggests there will be various TV and radio programmes (and books etc) to coincide with the significant date. I note this article (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magna_Carta ) regularly gets 150,000+ page views per month and this is likely to increase. It was listed as a Good Article back in the early days but was delisted in 2006 and has gone downhill since then. It is also listed on the Vital Articles for Society and Social Sciences. A few of us are trying to get it to at least GA or even FA standard before the anniversary – any help would be appreciated. The specific reason for this email is that I think WikimediaUK had some sort of relationship (possibly a wikimedian in residence or similar) with the British Library years ago. For that or other sources does anyone have a contact within the appropriate department (possibly manuscripts curator or similar) of the BL who would be willing to help advise on the development of this important article? Rod

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Volunteer Strategy Day
by Richard Symonds 29 Nov '14

29 Nov '14

Hi all, If you're lost in Birmingham at the Strategy Day today, give me a call on 07803 505 172 or drop me an email and I'll come and help you find the centre!

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WMUK's final governance audit report published
by Michael Maggs 28 Nov '14

28 Nov '14

A further copy of this text, with additional links, can be found on the WMUK Water Cooler [1] The WMUK board is today pleased to announce publication of the third and final report on the charity's governance. The report has been prepared by Rosie Chapman and Sarah Loader of Belinda Pratten and Rosie Chapman Associates. Today's report [2] (the second Chapman review <https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/File:Final_governance_audit_report,_Nov_2014.…>) is a follow-up independent audit of the progress that Wikimedia UK has made to improve its governance since January 2013. It comes 18 months after completion of the initial 2013 governance review (the Hudson review <https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/File:Wikimedia_UK_gov_review_rpt_v5.pdf>) and nine months after the first follow-up audit (the first Chapman review <https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/File:Interim_governance_audit_report,_Oct_201…>) which covered progress in addressing the Hudson review’s recommendations. In summary, Chapman's findings are that "/the charity has very largely addressed the 50 recommendations found within the original review. WMUK has developed very quickly, and the charity has clearly put a lot of effort into ensuring that its governance now meets best practice expectations. It has a cohesive, skilled and experienced board in place. They have a clear understanding of the charity’s vision and mission/". In the section comparing WMUK with similar UK charities, we were pleased to note Chapman's conclusion (para 42) that: /"for the stage that Wikimedia is in its lifecycle it compares well with similar UK charities. Its transparency about its procedures is a beacon of best practice, and its conflicts of interest procedures are robust and well-tested"/. She further observes (paras 14 and 15) that: "/Inevitably, a lot of the Board’s efforts have to-date been internally focussed; putting in place robust governance arrangements and agreeing the new strategy that was published in March this year. Whilst there is still some fine-tuning to bed in the strategy, for example linking particular outcomes with detailed objectives, targets, budgets and performance measurement through-out the organisation, there is also the chance for WMUK’s Board to become more outward focussed in its time and efforts. This will, in turn, enable the Board to consider opportunities and choices for what the organisation does to deliver its strategy, and how it should be resourced to do so/. "/From our discussion with trustees and staff it is clear that there is a real appetite for this shift in the board’s focus, and to consider more external opportunities/". The report is worth reading in its entirety, as it includes a wealth of advice, analysis and commentary that will be of interest and use not only to WMUK itself but also to the community at large and to other organisations within the movement. The WMUK board would once again like to thank Rosie Chapman for her comprehensive and insightful analysis which will be of great help in enabling us to meet the challenges and opportunities ahead. Best regards Michael ____________ Michael Maggs Chair, Wikimedia UK [1] https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Water_cooler#Final_governance_audit_report_pu… [2] https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/File:Final_governance_audit_report,_Nov_2014.…

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Wikimedia UK and the Science Museum Late
by Stevie Benton 27 Nov '14

27 Nov '14

Hello everyone, Wikimedia UK was well represented last night at the Science Museum Late event. There were five Wikimedia-related sessions on offer and each was very well received. The event was attended by an incredible 3,728 people! Enormous thanks to all of the volunteers and staff who made the event such a good experience for everyone who came along, it's very much appreciated. A special thanks to Mary Langsdale and Roberta Wedge who worked extremely hard to make the event such a success. Thanks and regards, Stevie -- Stevie Benton Head of External Relations Wikimedia UK +44 (0) 20 7065 0993 / +44 (0) 7803 505 173 @StevieBenton Wikimedia UK is a Company Limited by Guarantee registered in England and Wales, Registered No. 6741827. Registered Charity No.1144513. Registered Office 4th Floor, Development House, 56-64 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4LT. United Kingdom. Wikimedia UK is the UK chapter of a global Wikimedia movement. The Wikimedia projects are run by the Wikimedia Foundation (who operate Wikipedia, amongst other projects). *Wikimedia UK is an independent non-profit charity with no legal control over Wikipedia nor responsibility for its contents.*

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Pelican E-books available for editors
by Jonathan Cardy 27 Nov '14

27 Nov '14

Dear all, Wikimedia UK is delighted to announce that Pelican Books, the reference book sister to Penguin Books, has given us 50 E-books to distribute to Wikipedia editors. Details including how to apply at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Pelican_Books Regards Jonathan Cardy GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives & Museums) Organiser Wikimedia UK 020 7065 0921 (I'm normally in the office Tuesday's, Wednesdays and Fridays - Emails on Mondays and Thursdays wont usually be seen till the next day) Wikimedia UK is a Company Limited by Guarantee registered in England and Wales, Registered No. 6741827. Registered Charity No.1144513. Registered Office 4th Floor, Development House, 56-64 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4LT. United Kingdom. Wikimedia UK is the UK chapter of a global Wikimedia movement. The Wikimedia projects are run by the Wikimedia Foundation (who operate Wikipedia, amongst other projects). Wikimedia UK is an independent non-profit charity with no legal control over Wikipedia nor responsibility for its contents. Press Enter to send your message.

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Wikimedia UK and the Science Museum Late
by Stevie Benton 26 Nov '14

26 Nov '14

Hello everyone, Just under two weeks to go until the Science Museum Lates event on Wednesday 26 November. We are still looking for more volunteers to help out at what will be a fun, lively and unusual event. There are all sorts of things to get involved with, from helping with video and audio, to talking to people about the Wikimedia projects, helping folks photograph the brand new Information Age gallery for Commons or helping people record their voice for Wikipedia. More details, including sign-ups, can be seen here - https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Science_Museum_Late Thanks and regards, Stevie -- Stevie Benton Head of External Relations Wikimedia UK +44 (0) 20 7065 0993 / +44 (0) 7803 505 173 @StevieBenton Wikimedia UK is a Company Limited by Guarantee registered in England and Wales, Registered No. 6741827. Registered Charity No.1144513. Registered Office 4th Floor, Development House, 56-64 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4LT. United Kingdom. Wikimedia UK is the UK chapter of a global Wikimedia movement. The Wikimedia projects are run by the Wikimedia Foundation (who operate Wikipedia, amongst other projects). *Wikimedia UK is an independent non-profit charity with no legal control over Wikipedia nor responsibility for its contents.*

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Governance and how WMUK places high value contracts
by Fæ 26 Nov '14

26 Nov '14

"We are transparent in our operations, both to our communities and more generally to the public." It has been over a week since the question of whether the WMUK board of trustees asked D'Arcy about his past Wikimedia contributions was raised. The silence from all board members is telling. I had hoped that the board or D'Arcy would use the opportunity to knock on the head what appears to be a minor past mistake of judgement. Looking over D'Arcy's public profile and past clients, I am puzzled at how D'Arcy got invited to tender for the interim position for this specialist open knowledge charity. Presumably both the recruitment process and D'Arcy's contract represents a significant investment of 2013/14 Wikimedia grants and UK donations. I would appreciate it if the board or D'Arcy would meet the charity's stated value of transparency, by explaining for the benefit of both charity members and readers of this email list, if any current or past board member personally recommended D'Arcy the position, and exactly what process was followed to meet Wikimedia UK's published obligations to ensure an open process and competitive tendering to assure best value. Thanks, Fae On 18 November 2014 at 19:24, Fæ <faewik(a)gmail.com> wrote: > It would be nice to hear from the board how this was discussed before > offering the interim position. After all, in the several interviews I took > part in for WMUK staff, pretty much the first basic question was along the > lines of 'have you ever edited Wikipedia?' as a way of assessing what the > candidate knows about Wikimedia; so I can not believe this would come as a > surprise considering how sensitive the board is on COI and its perception by > our community. > > Fae -- faewik(a)gmail.com https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Fae

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Planned downtime for Civi CRM database development: Monday 24th November at 17:00 UTC
by Katherine Bavage 24 Nov '14

24 Nov '14

Dear All, We are working with a contractor to make improvement to Civi CRM, the database the charity uses to manage its contact records. We need to allow our developers to take the database offline on Monday evening of next week to work on some configuration and set up tasks. This means from 17:00 on 24th to 08:00 25th November the parts of our sites supported by Civi CRM will be inaccessible, including membership sign ups, events sign ups, equipment booking and donations forms. Obviously this is an inconvenience which is why we have scheduled it for out of office hours, but we hope it will lead to improvements in lots of the services we offer. If you have any questions, or notice issues after the downtime is over you can reply to this email, or email the Technology Committee mailing list at tech(a)wikimedia.org.uk Many thanks, *Katherine Bavage * *Fundraising Manager * *Wikimedia UK* +44 20 7065 0752 Wikimedia UK is a Company Limited by Guarantee registered in England and Wales, Registered No. 6741827. Registered Charity No.1144513. Registered Office 4th Floor, Development House, 56-64 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4LT. United Kingdom. Wikimedia UK is the UK chapter of a global Wikimedia movement. The Wikimedia projects are run by the Wikimedia Foundation (who operate Wikipedia, amongst other projects). *Wikimedia UK is an independent non-profit charity with no legal control over Wikipedia nor responsibility for its contents.*

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Fwd: [Wikimedia-l] Need help about Wikipedia in science
by Stevie Benton 24 Nov '14

24 Nov '14

Cross posting from Wikimedia-l as I know some UK folks will have some very useful insights here. Please reply all as I have copied Erlend on this email. Thank you, Stevie ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Erlend Bjørtvedt <erlend(a)wikimedia.no> Date: 24 November 2014 at 08:57 Subject: [Wikimedia-l] Need help about Wikipedia in science To: Wikimedia Mailing List <wikimedia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org> Dear colleagues, I need your help. In a weeks time, I am invited by the Norwegian Science Council to meet them and lecture and discuss about how they can nurture and contribute to the Wikipedia. The Science Council (Forskningsrådet) organizes all the universities, colleges, and institutes sector as regards research, through funding and program evalution. The task is that they will first produce a "do-it-your-self-kit" to scientists and researchers on how they can fulfill they obligation of educating the public. Thereafter, they will work more targetedly with pinpointing and contributing directly to the Wikipedia, probably Commons too. Our good partners in the Arts Council Norway have already worked with us for a long time on their public outreach obligation, and will take part in the meeting and speak about how they have nurtured the outreach of cultural heritage through Wikipedia and Commons. QUESTION: Where can I find good overviews of: - Examples of universities or institutions who have "used" Wikipedia to educate the public - Examples of professions or individual researchers who have done the same - Examples of formal co-operations between science and Wikimedia movement, as reference - Examples from your chapter of co-operation with science / universities Thank you all, Erlend -- *Erlend Bjørtvedt* Nestleder, Wikimedia Norge Vice chairman, Wikimedia Norway Mob: +47 - 9225 9227 http://no.wikimedia.org <http://no.wikimedia.org/wiki/About_us> _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines Wikimedia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, <mailto:wikimedia-l-request@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe> -- Stevie Benton Head of External Relations Wikimedia UK +44 (0) 20 7065 0993 / +44 (0) 7803 505 173 @StevieBenton Wikimedia UK is a Company Limited by Guarantee registered in England and Wales, Registered No. 6741827. Registered Charity No.1144513. Registered Office 4th Floor, Development House, 56-64 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4LT. United Kingdom. Wikimedia UK is the UK chapter of a global Wikimedia movement. The Wikimedia projects are run by the Wikimedia Foundation (who operate Wikipedia, amongst other projects). *Wikimedia UK is an independent non-profit charity with no legal control over Wikipedia nor responsibility for its contents.*

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Reducing the copyright term for (some) unpublished works
by Andrew Gray 23 Nov '14

23 Nov '14

Hi all, The government is currently consulting on reducing the copyright term in some unpublished material - this is the "2039 problem" that a number of institutions have been raising in recent weeks, where unpublished works can be in copyright until 2039 despite being potentially several centuries old. https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/reducing-the-duration-of-copyri… This seems like something where WMUK should submit a response (we have a pretty clear interest in rationalising the regulations here). Deadline is a month away so we've got some time to think about it. I'm happy to draft up some notes for us to send in if no-one else is putting something together - have we been looking at this already? Andrew. -- - Andrew Gray andrew.gray(a)dunelm.org.uk

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Wikimediauk-l November 2014