Wikipedia talk:Wikipedia Loves Libraries

Virginia

I would like to see wiki users in Virginia try and organize something. We have many cultural centers in the state, as well as many great universities, whose libraries can be used as meeting centers. I guess I'll start off by suggesting that those in the Hampton Roads area meet at the main Chesapeake library located in the Great Bridge area. This library has plenty of access to computers and books, and has a lot of room. I'd be open to the idea of having it at ODU's library or another college's campus, but I'm not sure how accessible those place would be. --Mateo 06:49, 8 October 2011 (UTC)

VCU would be highly preferable from a look at population centers. Hampton Roads is for the gulls. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 108.56.239.162 (talk) 16:32, 11 October 2011 (UTC)

I'd say you have to make the first move - talk to the librarians, talk to other interested Wikipedians, etc. Solicit feedback from various people, etc. -- kosboot (talk) 18:14, 11 October 2011 (UTC)

Pennsylvania

I would like to organize something at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. --_{Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus| talk} 18:22, 11 July 2011 (UTC)

Sure, please go ahead and add a section for Pennsylvania to the front side of the page :)--Pharos (talk) 03:36, 31 July 2011 (UTC)

new here!hellooo are any wllLOvelibraries coming to miami/main or culmer? let me know the correct way 2 leave comments!Willjay001 (talk) 17:34, 17 September 2011 (UTC)

Tie-in possibilities

Possibly mid September, tying in with Open Video Conference, or late October, tying in with Open Access Week.--Pharos (talk) 19:41, 11 July 2011 (UTC)

At the risk of being predictable, I'll suggest sometime between Sept 21 (Weds) -Sept 27 (Tues) to line up with the Autumnal equinox (Sept. 23) since these dates are always easy to remember. A question I have though is whether weekdays would be more appropriate (especially for libraries) or maybe weekends would be more appropriate for most Wikipedians - maybe weekday evenings as a compromise? Smallbones (talk) 01:53, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

Many libraries are open Saturdays, and that would be my suggestion. Many people travel some distance to these events. In Minnesota, for example, some of the most regular organizers live well outside the metro area. I would also suggest October or later, as a good event takes time to plan. Jonathunder (talk) 14:22, 24 July 2011 (UTC)

If we were to suggest a "default" day perhaps that should be October 29, as the Saturday during Open Access Week. Local organizers would of course be equally free to pick any other convenient day in October, but having a default might help speed things on the less high-activity meetup discussions.--Pharos (talk) 03:48, 31 July 2011 (UTC)

Thoughts

It's been a busy summer for me, but I've been thinking about how to write up our discussion at the Minnesota Wiknic. We talked about future events, and having something at a library was one idea. (Other ideas, which perhaps we can consider for next year, were museums and other cultural institutions.) We found the global notice brought many people who have never attended a meetup before, including some who don't edit much but are primarily readers. This has started me thinking about how we might use these events as outreach to interested readers and beginning editors. Perhaps experienced editors could bring laptops to the library event and be prepared to show how editing works. We could offer to get newbies started right there, and show them help and mentorship resources within Wikipedia. We could select some things we want a new editor to know, such as citing sources, and show them how to do those things. Thoughts? Jonathunder (talk) 14:22, 24 July 2011 (UTC)

Including aspects of newbie wiki-workshops sounds great, we've done a bit of this with Wikipedia:Meetup/NYC/Workshop recently.--Pharos (talk) 01:46, 4 August 2011 (UTC)

Why only US?

Hrm.. I wish they had this sort of thing here in Canada.. :( -- œ^™ 16:18, 4 August 2011 (UTC)

In the spirit of being bold in editing, why not start one? Jonathunder (talk) 17:51, 4 August 2011 (UTC)

I knew someone was going to say that :) I'm hoping Wikimedia Canada can organize something. -- œ^™ 23:02, 4 August 2011 (UTC)

I am checking UBC to see if they are interested. Would love to have Ol E organize one where ever he or she is... Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 02:51, 17 August 2011 (UTC)

Surrey has just opened a brand new public library. That should be iinspiration enough for a Surrey resident to start something there. 07:01, 28 September 2011 (UTC)

And why just North America? Any objection to people elsewhere joining in with an event? —Tom Morris (talk) 08:43, 7 September 2011 (UTC)

If someone organizes something, we can add it, just as we did when there was interest in Canada. Jonathunder (talk) 15:53, 7 September 2011 (UTC)

No objection at all, we'll be very glad to make this a more global initiative :)--Pharos (talk) 20:24, 7 September 2011 (UTC)

Is there any aspect of this action that is US-specific? Where there similar actions in Europe? Still happening in USA this year in some (online?) form? --Zblace (talk) 08:51, 10 August 2020 (UTC)

Zblace It's kinda odd to reply to a topic 9 year old. :) No, there is nothing US-specific about the Wikipedia Loves Libraries campaign. It was just a way to get library staff involved with Wikipedia. From my point of view it succeeded. In fact, currently Wikidata draws even more interest among library and data specialists than Wikipedia does. - kosboot (talk) 11:03, 10 August 2020 (UTC)

Presidential libraries

Just as a note, I have made a very preliminary contact with someone from the Office of Presidential Libraries here at NARA, where I am Wikipedian in Residence. I am hoping to see if we can get a few of the libraries on board before I leave in a few weeks. There are several in major cities, like Atlanta, Boston, Hyde Park (somewhat near NYC), Austin/Dallas/Houston, Little Rock, Grand Rapids/Ann Arbor, and Southern California. I can't make any promises right now, and the biggest potential complication is probably the availability of weekend public events (and staff coverage), but we shall see. Dominic·t 21:25, 4 August 2011 (UTC)

No promises, but...

I've started a conversation with some of my colleagues and am hoping to do something in my library in Georgia (US) (where I have done a presentation on WP once before for the public). LadyofShalott 18:23, 11 August 2011 (UTC)

WP announcement

I see the announcement, but there's no info on the page about how to organize an event. My library would strongly support it. How does someone go about organizing an event? Pine^talk 05:16, 16 August 2011 (UTC)

Just talk to your library, and add the details to the front side of this wiki page. I've just added a brief section of 'Sample activities for the day' as well.--Pharos (talk) 23:02, 16 August 2011 (UTC)

Thanks. Pine^talk 05:04, 18 August 2011 (UTC)

Canada - WMCA

As a board member for Wikimedia Canada I would be supportive of extending this concept to Canada. Alan.ca (talk) 13:56, 16 August 2011 (UTC)

I have boldly reworked the page to include Canada. Hopefully at least one Canadian city will be added. Jonathunder (talk) 17:19, 16 August 2011 (UTC)

Montreal was added, which is good. Toronto? Vancouver? Others? Jonathunder (talk) 14:28, 19 August 2011 (UTC)

If there's any events near Kitchener (though can travel from Toronto to London), I'd be willing to assist. Tabercil (talk) 04:40, 25 August 2011 (UTC)

An event Wikipédia aime les bibliothèques/Wkipedia loves Libraries has been held during Wikimania 2017, in Montreal, the 11th of August from 13h to 16h30 with 37 participants.--Marie D Martel (talk) 15:24, 23 August 2017 (UTC)

The WLL model

Can someone please explain what this "model" is? I've read through this page a few times and I still can't tell exactly what this is. Perhaps some better explanation of what exactly is recommended for one of these events? ···日本穣^? · 投稿 · Talk to Nihonjoe · Join WikiProject Japan! 07:34, 17 August 2011 (UTC)

But what is it?

I'm sorry, but from reading the pages, all I could glean was that it has something to do with Wikipedia and something to do with libraries. Apparently it's a "wiki-hackathon," but I don't know what that is either. Who organizes these, what goes on during them, where are they, why should the Wikipedians reading the watchlist notice care? I'd like to say I'm a fairly experienced user, but ... details, please? --Philosopher ^{Let us reason together.} 08:16, 17 August 2011 (UTC)

I agree. More info is needed. Marchije•^speak/_peek 00:27, 19 August 2011 (UTC)

Also agree. I'd love to point my local library at this, but if I can't figure out what this is about, I doubt they could either. It would be nice to have an executive summary, and an FAQ like, "What is this event? How can I organize one? What can librarians do to get involved? Etc. --Elonka 00:36, 19 August 2011 (UTC)

If there is, or has been, a Wiki meetup in your area, it will give a basis to organize from. If not, Wikipedia:Meetup/Minnesota is one example you can use to get things started where you are. Jonathunder (talk) 15:54, 19 August 2011 (UTC)

I think this was originally meant just as an informal get-together like any other wiki-meet, just at a local library where we can also utilize the resources there and work on articles while we meet. I'm not sure but I don't think the libraries themselves - that is, the staff - are involved in any way.. unless they need to be informed beforehand that a large amount of people will be coming in on a certain day. -- œ^™ 00:55, 22 August 2011 (UTC)

Interesting. That is very different from the way I took it, which is that it was intended to be an official library program in each library where it occurs. It was not spelled out well. LadyofShalott 16:26, 22 August 2011 (UTC)

Maybe it could still evolve into that. That's probably what we're all hoping for, but just waiting for someone to officially establish. -- œ^™ 00:13, 23 August 2011 (UTC)

I'm helping to organize an editathon in NYC. I think it would be a good idea to create a page or use this page to brainstorm and refine ideas, so as to have a model for future Wikipedia/library interactions. -- kosboot (talk) 15:50, 9 September 2011 (UTC)

Not being quite sure what it ( wikipedia loves libraries) is I decided to organize a, "Learn how to edit wikipedia" day at my library. I managed to get in Oct. 11, a day that the library is nominally closed. I am putting together my version of how to edit here, starting with "To register or not to register, that is the question" and going on from there. This might not be what other folks have in mind, but wikipedia loves libraries, and our library loves wikipedia. A marriage made in . ..... the internet? Einar aka Carptrash (talk) 15:41, 23 September 2011 (UTC)

Program, activities, and curriculum

I've had a preliminary conversation with my local library, but because these proposals are as yet unformed, it's difficult to discuss the event until we have more structure, as several comments above have mentioned. Can we break down the ideas to render a proto-program? For my part, I've posted a message in my Hudson Valley wikiproject talk soliciting input and volunteers, and am willing to teach several introductory seminars, and perhaps participate in panel discussion. These seem like ordinary program activities at such events. I see on the main page a suggested "edit-a-thon" of local pages using information obtained by folks attending. I'm also envisioning a mass editing event in which we use the wifi of the library in conjunction with self-brought portable computing devices so that everybody can edit. Maybe we see how many different people we can get to edit a given page or set of pages. It occurred to me that we could avail ourselves of help from people who can't actually be present because they live very far away. This would be extremely cool, because folks at the event could immediately make the distant connection. (The farther away the editor, the higher the potential excitement of connection.) Can we make this a thread in which we put forward ideas for a prototype program? Having such would certainly help us make pitches to local libraries shy of new or (possibly controversial) programming. BusterD (talk) 11:55, 24 August 2011 (UTC)

Brainstorm list of ideas

(sign your contributions if you like)

1. Meetup of local Wikipedians to do some face-to-face and shared activity (main premise of main page)
2. Reader outreach and seminars about Wikipedia (suggested from main page)
3. Practical instruction on editing, with experienced users helping newbies. Jonathunder (talk)
4. Panel discussion about Library/Pedia links and compare/contrast (suggested from main page)
5. Edit-a-thon of local articles sourced by library research (suggested from main page)
6. Mass editing event, assisted by editors very far away or unable to actually be onsite. BusterD (talk)
7. Cooperative live editing event in conjunction with other simultaneous events, linking one local library to other locals far away. BusterD (talk)
8. Edit/create articles on the library being used by Wikipedians, so as to support/thank the venue. -- kosboot (talk) 12:31, 23 September 2011 (UTC)
9. Have a discussion on the nature of research (others' research versus personal research, i.e. "Original research") and explore how that is affected by Wikipedia's rules vs. writing for other forums. -- kosboot (talk) 17:12, 23 September 2011 (UTC)

This "brainstorm list" is awesome! Shall we move it over to the main "Project Page" (under the section "Types of Events")? M2545 (talk) 12:46, 23 September 2011 (UTC)

Yes. -- kosboot (talk) 12:52, 23 September 2011 (UTC)

Threaded discussion

{I'm not wedded to the discussion model I've created, so if this seems wrong, feel free to boldly change it, improve it, or remove it as appropriate.} Let's use this thread to discuss what is listed above, to help us build/trim/improve the potential program events. BusterD (talk) 12:12, 24 August 2011 (UTC)

I've tried to condense these ideas into something simple and prominent on the front side of this page. I hope things are considerably clearer now.--Pharos (talk) 04:29, 26 August 2011 (UTC)

Where I get lost is the "easy to organize" part, because I don't think this is easy for libraries at all. What we need is to have a link that any Wikipedian could give to their local library -- a step-by-step "Are you a librarian? Here's how you can organize this event" section. What do they need to do? How do they promote it? How do they even sign up? How do they coordinate with local Wikipedians? Is this an event to be organized by libraries? Or by Wikipedians? What kind of attendance can they expect? How is this good for the library? Why should they bother with this? Etc. --Elonka 05:00, 26 August 2011 (UTC)

I don't think it was anticipated libraries would organize this. It is not being promoted to libraries directly, but to Wikipedians who may be interesting in organizing something at a library. Jonathunder (talk) 20:07, 26 August 2011 (UTC)

The current page says, "Easy to organize, even for small public libraries", which implies that the libraries are doing the organizing. I would also recommend that we remove the term "Hackathon" from the first line of the page, because it has a negative (hacking) connotation, and it's entirely unclear, even to experienced Wikipedians such as myself, what it means. --Elonka 16:11, 27 August 2011 (UTC)

Strong second the removal of the word term "hackathon". Local libraries are by function conservative (small "c") organizations which need the broadest possible community support. I think my librarians are interested in the event idea in the abstract, but since they are aware they operate in media culture, I suspect they'd be adverse to supporting any event which advocated anything entitled "hacking", regardless of what the event included. BusterD (talk) 16:17, 27 August 2011 (UTC)

I've boldly changed that. We can discuss lots of things, but I can't participate in anything called hacking and neither will my library. BusterD (talk) 16:21, 27 August 2011 (UTC)

Concur with change. I also did a major rewrite of the description, and added some advice for librarians. Hopefully things are more clear to everyone now. --Elonka 16:41, 27 August 2011 (UTC)

Broadly agree with the rewrite, just performed by User:Elonka. I especially like the specific instructions for librarians. Like the WP:GLAM pages, we might consider having a librarian-intended sub-page or entry point. "Would your library be interested in hosting an event like this? What should you do if you're approached unsolicited by a local resident who self-identifies as a Wikipedian? How could you find out more about that person as a Wikipedian?" All of these would be reasonable things a librarian considering this would want to ask. I'm going to take the liberty of asking a wikipedian/librarian for help. BusterD (talk) 17:18, 27 August 2011 (UTC)

Awesome, thanks for your help in improving the guidelines. Go team!--Pharos (talk) 18:19, 30 August 2011 (UTC)

I'm not sure if it will help much, but I just blogged about the event we had in early August at the National Archives, which could certainly serve as a model for WLL events. See here. Feel free to share it with any interested library staff. Dominic·t 23:25, 27 August 2011 (UTC)

South Bay/West Los Angeles

Greetings, I'm a Wikipedia editor and the electronic resources librarian for the City of Inglewood, which is right next to Los Angeles International Airport. I'd definitely like to participate in this program. We have wifi in our building and a number of study rooms; we have plenty of kids and two community colleges within our area, as well as many people from the aerospace industry. We also have a separate auditorium for 200 people, which may get wifi soon; if there is interest in having an event here at the beach, the City will be more interested in getting us a repeater, but in any case we have hard-wired access in that space. Joel J. Rane (talk) 18:29, 30 August 2011 (UTC)

This is great news! Thanks Joel. I suspect you will find allies here. BusterD (talk) 12:50, 1 September 2011 (UTC)

Monroeville, Pennsylvania; Model, Wikipedia Loves Libraries

This is a working draft of the model Wikipedia Loves Libraries that I plan to use in Monroeville, Pennsylvania on or about October 18 or 19 as an evening program. Focus is for general public as part of the adult services program of the library. It assumes the presence of a online computer and projector. I will also keep the next evening available to come in to the library and provide personal assistance to any editor that would like one on one help. JeepdaySock (AKA, Jeepday) 10:56, 13 September 2011 (UTC)

• Introduce Wikipedian organizers and given their Wikipedia history.
• Ask if others in the audience are contributors, IP or registered.
• Short presentation "Wikipedia The Best Single Reference On The Web". This is a power point I created for a Toastmaster speach, it is currently a power point, will need to see about userfying it so I can access online.
• Q & A about Wikipedia (Vandalism, Improvement projects, referencing, Biographies of living persons, Edit summary and wikimark up)
• Interactive article edit (select volunteer from audience to operate computer). Get the entire group to pick one of several local article to improve as a group (edit by committee).

List of Local articles

• Here will be a list of articles of local interest that need help (Located by anyone on Wikipedia)
• Monroeville,_Pennsylvania#Demographics "Today, U.S. Route 22 runs through the municipality, serving as its main business district. This highway, along with the Pennsylvania Turnpike (Interstate 76), the eastern portion of the Penn-Lincoln Parkway (Interstate 376, also U.S. Route 22), U.S. Route 22 Business, and PA Route 48 intersect, forming the 3rd busiest intersection in the commonwealth" {{Citation needed}}
• Monroeville,_Pennsylvania#References_by_media_and_the_arts Unreferenced bullets & {{Citation needed}}
• Monroeville,_Pennsylvania#Notable_people Unreferenced bullets
• Pennsylvania_Turnpike#Western_Extension Unreferenced section
• U.S._Route_22_in_Pennsylvania#Monroeville_business_loop Unreferenced section
• Eugene Baker ( American football wide receiver ) short article needs work
• Ken Macha (former Major League Baseball third baseman and manager) article needs references
• John F. Sattler (Lieutenant General, United States Marine Corps) article needs references
• Boyce Park short article needs work
• List of Pennsylvania state historical markers in Allegheny County lists Forbes Road (Bouquet's Breastworks) as uncreated article. Per THE HISTORICAL MARKER DATABASE Inscription. "The last base of General Forbes' army. After crossing nearly “two hundred miles of wild and unknown country,” the army entered Fort Duquesne on November 25, 1758."

References available in the library

• Here will be a list of reference works of local interest that are available (Located by anyone in the Library)

"Wikipedia Loves Libraries" as an annual event?

In Boston, Massachusetts, there has been interest from several libraries (public + academic) in participating in a "Wikipedia Loves Libraries" event in the future, but not in October 2011. Maybe next year, they say. Need to plan ahead. Do others anticipate an annual repeat of this event? If so, shall we make it "official" on the project page and describe the event as likely to reoccur in 2012? (M2545 (talk) 12:49, 21 September 2011 (UTC))

I give an enthusiastic yes to an annual event. I gather Wikipedia chose the end of October because it's Open Access Week. For next year, it would be beneficial if Wikipedia could first talk with the American Library Association and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions to create a world-wide event that could really be stunning. With enough lead time, it would be well marketed and create benefits for Wikipedia, libraries (and archives and museums) and the world in general. -- kosboot (talk) 15:13, 21 September 2011 (UTC)

This seems exactly the right idea. I see no reason for us to limit this endearing concept to a once off. If this is really good, then we could formalize a program more closely and build a better more rhythmic relationship between institutions and wikipedians. BusterD (talk) 02:50, 22 September 2011 (UTC)

Shared marketing materials/content?

Hi everybody! I'll be one of the organizers for the "Wikipedia Loves Libraries!" event at the University of Colorado at Boulder Libraries on October 27. We're getting tremendous assistance from the University Libraries here in designing posters to promote our event, but I was wondering if anybody here is planning to create logos, banners or other shared content for WLL and release it under Creative Commons or related licenses? It'd be fantastic to have a common "brand identity" for Wikipedia Loves Libraries events, especially if - as I hope - we can make it a worldwide event like Wikipedia's 10th anniversary. -- Gaurav (talk) 07:36, 4 October 2011 (UTC)

School Libraries

I just want to know at what level would be acceptable. I am a middle schooler and I am wondering if that seems to young for public adults coming in. (I will be asking the librarian after I get a response). I am a Wikipedia guest. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 198.209.35.250 (talk) 14:08, 5 October 2011 (UTC)

If you talk with your school librarian, you might be able to create an interesting program which might be attractive for other middle/high school students. Go for it. -- kosboot (talk) 14:31, 5 October 2011 (UTC)

Then find a library that is willing to host disenfranchised high school students. If none of the high school libraries want to do it, try public libraries, or university/college libraries. -- kosboot (talk) 07:57, 9 October 2011 (UTC)

Twitter hashtag?

With so many WLL events going on simultaneously, has anyone decided on a Twitter hashtag that can be used by all? -- kosboot (talk) 02:22, 6 October 2011 (UTC)

Maybe #wll or #wll11? -- kosboot (talk) 11:48, 6 October 2011 (UTC)

Also useful for a Flickr stream. Would be nice to see pics from all over the world (yes, even Canada) showing WLL activities. -- kosboot (talk) 20:22, 9 October 2011 (UTC)

Vancouver BC Canada

Anyone else interested in doing one here in Vancouver, maybe with the Vancouver Public Library (a massive library... one of the largest in North America). I am surprised it hasn't been proposed yet. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Teamcoltra (talk • contribs) 16:55, 8 October 2011 (UTC)

How very sad, I would have assumed Vancouver would've been first in line to join something like this. My bigger surprise is that Surrey, Burnaby, New West, Richmond, etc should be right there next to it. It's weird considering wikip is global but adding ANY Canadian cities seemed like an after though (as always). It's too bad I didn't realise how American-centric wikip still was. It seems ignorant that a knowledge base like this is American-centric because if you list the cities with a higher level of education first, all the US cities would be at the bottom. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.81.22.36 (talk) 20:13, 9 October 2011 (UTC)

I would be interested. InverseHypercube 23:29, 11 October 2011 (UTC)

---

Wikipedia:Meetup/Vancouver. October 23, 2011. Check it out. --A. Kupicki (talk) 04:54, 15 October 2011 (UTC)

Santa Cruz

Anyone interested in a Wikimeetup for Wikipedia Loves Libaries in Santa Cruz?

Post something on my talk page if you are. User talk:Mar2194 Mar2194 (talk) 06:30, 9 October 2011 (UTC)

Adding books into the library list

I recently had a book published and I'd like to add it into wiki so that when people search for it, it pops up. How would I do that? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Swwdthatsme (talk • contribs) 19:54, 9 October 2011 (UTC)

See: WP:SOAP -- kosboot (talk) 00:10, 10 October 2011 (UTC)

Edit request from , 10 October 2011

Under the South section:

The Farmville-Prince Edward branch of the Central Virginia Regional Library will host a Wikipedia Edit-a-thon on Sunday, October 30, 2011. There will be a session for laptop users in the library's meeting room from 2:30-3:30 pm. An identical session for desktop users will be offered in the library's computer lab from 3:45-4:45 pm. Instruction will be designed for the beginning Wikipedia editor. Call (434) 392-6924 to register (registration is optional) or for more details.

Ethompson525 (talk) 02:00, 10 October 2011 (UTC)

Sounds great, I've added your info to the page :)--Pharos (talk) 20:14, 11 October 2011 (UTC)

List of libraries

I live in Seattle in the USA. For Wikipedia loves Libraries I was thinking of organizing a list of all the libraries in my city. Here is what I have so far - List of libraries in Seattle. Could I get some feedback on my doing this? I looked at Wikipedia and wondered why this had not been done before. I am unsure what information should be included in such a list, how to categorize this, how to or whether I should make references, and who I should collaborate with. I was thinking of writing to other people doing WLL events in other cities but I want some other opinions about this first. Thanks for your attention. Blue Rasberry (talk) 23:02, 10 October 2011 (UTC)

Sounds like a cool idea, we should definitely have these kinds of lists and it's a shame that we don't yet. You might want to look at some of the 'Public art in' lists for a model; for a very elaborate example, see List of public art in Washington, D.C.. Also, Wikipedia:WikiProject Libraries should be useful.--Pharos (talk) 20:22, 11 October 2011 (UTC)

Los Angeles: Echo Park

I am organizing an editathon at the Tom of Finland Foundation Library on October 30th for those interested in updating pages based on issues surrounding queer/LGBTQIA. The library's unique collection will be available for reference. I am not at all experienced in using/editing wikipedia and am looking for a few folks who would be willing to lead an editing workshop or be available for questions. I also need advice regarding where to post the event information. Thanks for you help! Opal Whiteley (talk) 20:54, 11 October 2011 (UTC)

more info on the event here: http://worldoftomoffinland.com/insider_trading_tof/?p=12389 Opal Whiteley (talk) 15:24, 12 October 2011 (UTC)

Cool, I've added information on this to the front side of the page.--Pharos (talk) 18:02, 12 October 2011 (UTC)

Signup

"...chances are excellent that experienced Wikipedians will notice it and signup, and then you can coordinate with them about panels and Q&A sessions." 'Signup' isn't a verb. There is a such thing as a signup sheet, but you sign up with a signup sheet. I also don't think you can coordinate about a session... but you can coordinate a session. I'm just making a proposition about prepositions. 129.21.134.93 (talk) 21:28, 11 October 2011 (UTC)

thanks! Opal Whiteley (talk) 15:24, 12 October 2011 (UTC)

Considering an event

I am considering coordinating an event at our library on campus. I am a student, and my goal is improve "public relations" for the librarians and instructors. Wikipedia has a pretty bad reputation on campus, and I'd like to fix that. Please advice. --jcarroll (talk) 22:35, 12 October 2011 (UTC)

I would recommend that you find other Wikipedian students with whom to work first, then build consensus in person. If you want to work with librarians and instructors, become aware of the Campus Ambassador program. For the library project, consider improving the Wikipedia articles for your campus or community libraries. If you want to talk more then contact me on my user page, or perhaps email me with your number and let's talk by phone. Blue Rasberry (talk) 22:51, 12 October 2011 (UTC)

Absolutely Visit Your Library Day! (coinciding with the Mayor's Reading Challenge)

Is it possible for a citizen to book part of a local library/ museum for a private event? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.72.36.153 (talk) 08:04, 13 October 2011 (UTC)

Frequently it is. Contact your local library and good luck with planning an event! Write if you have questions. Blue Rasberry (talk) 13:07, 13 October 2011 (UTC)

The South

Half of the cities listed in the South aren't really even in the South (by most Southern definitions, at least)! It's sad that so few exist in our region. As a Ph.D. student at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, I would love to attend a local meeting. Unfortunately, traveling to Charlotte or Athens is a large endeavor. Hopefully this catches on and we see these spring up at other large Southern cities than just Charlotte (like Atlanta, Nashville, Asheville, or Tampa) and other college towns that just Athens (Knoxville, Chapel Hill, Boone, Lexington- although some of these qualify as fairly large cities as well). Perhaps coordinating with local colleges could help the success of this program.

This really just my two cents about where the future is hopefully headed in the region. To those who are going, have fun!

-Matt McMahon — Preceding unsigned comment added by Phatmatt12188 (talk • contribs) 17:54, 13 October 2011 (UTC)

If there's not currently a gathering in your city, go ahead and organize one! The general principle is, "List it, and they will come." Is there a local library that would be willing to host? --Elonka 18:40, 13 October 2011 (UTC)

Check out Wikipedia articles about your university, town, or local places and events. There is a good chance that some of the contributors to those articles live in your city. Write them through Wikipedia then meet them in real life. Blue Rasberry (talk) 00:51, 14 October 2011 (UTC)

Downloadable content from libraries not listed in list of resources available to wikipedians

I have not seen this on the list of free resources available to wikipedians, or whatever wikipedia calls it.

If your library has wifi, then you can log onto it and get all kinds of free professional journals, congressional testimony, etc. Very, very difficult and expensive stuff to get is free and downloadable. Whatever that wikipedia site is called about sourcess available to wikipedians, I do not remember it being there. The stuff that is available from your library is an absolute treasure trove. If the wikipedia site does not mention it, then it is remiss.66.234.33.8 (talk) 20:48, 14 October 2011 (UTC)

• Organized Professional Team Sports: Part 3. (password protected except at participating U.S. library) by United States House Committee on the Judiciary III, Subcommittee on Antitrust (1957). — Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.234.33.8 (talk) 20:51, 14 October 2011 (UTC)

Wikipedia is not a site for only Americans; it is a site for everyone, everywhere in the world. The link you gave is a subscription based service. While it may be commonly available in the USA at libraries, it is not universally available. See WP:External Links for the policy on posting links on Wikipedia articles. The link seems useful, but I can think of no place on the website to put it. Here is the homepage for the Wikipedia page where resources are listed. Wikipedia:WikiProject_Resource_Exchange Perhaps it could go there somehow; does anyone else have thoughts on this? Blue Rasberry (talk) 01:53, 15 October 2011 (UTC)

This appears to be Proquest Congressional (I'm just getting an error message), and yes, it's a very expensive database subscription service that was formerly known as Lexis Nexis Congressional and Congressional Universe. Seems like it fits on the List of academic databases and search engines Cataobh (talk) 04:32, 15 October 2011 (UTC)

Victoria/GVPL

Is anyone in victoria interested in doing this ? How would I go about planning an event ? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.67.174.20 (talk) 06:06, 15 October 2011 (UTC)

Take photos, please!

It would be great if everyone could take photos of your events, and upload them, so we have a nice visual record of activities. Also, a paragraph or so post-event would be great for documentation and future planning too.--Pharos (talk) 06:15, 16 October 2011 (UTC)

What should the photos be tagged with? #wll2011? -- kosboot (talk) 13:11, 16 October 2011 (UTC)

We have a category for these on Wikimedia Commons, but so far it only has NYC stuff (add your city today!): commons:Category:Wikipedia Loves Libraries.--Pharos (talk) 00:56, 28 October 2011 (UTC)

Planning a College Event

I am a college student interested in planning an event to promote Wikipedia Loves Libraries while raising money for philanthropy. My idea is to have students, faculty, staff, and alumni sponsor professors for their contributions. For example, if I sponsor my adviser for $5 an hour and he spends 3 hours updating Wikipedia, I donate $15. I want to hold this event at my school's library. Some general questions: Do the professors need to sign up with Wikipedia or have any special accreditation in order to update articles? Are there any pre-made training programs on how to write good articles? How could I contact an experienced Wikipedian to help with the event? Any other advice will be appreciated. -- Mmartella (talk) 14:28, 17 October 2011 (UTC)Mike

I would think anything involving money has to go through the school administration. Perhaps speak to someone in their Development (i.e. fundraising) office and someone high up in the library. There may be legal issues involved that they can clarify. -- kosboot (talk) 16:28, 17 October 2011 (UTC)

Millard Horizon High School

I'm a senior at an alternative high school known as Millard Horizon High School. Were located in Omaha, Nebraska and I would be very excited if you were to come and talk at our school. Wikipedia is a great, vast resource of knowledge that I use every day for projects/assignments etc. Teachers always advise against using Wikipedia as a resource when working on projects/assignments etc, but I inform them that the vast majority of pages on this site are guarded against unhelpful posts and edits, and that Wikipedia is actually extremely helpful when trying to learn something. I think that many people feel that Wikipedia is an untrustworthy source of information, but if you were to talk at our school, you could help dispel this misinformation about your wonderful site.

-Connor — Preceding unsigned comment added by 205.202.243.7 (talk) 14:56, 19 October 2011 (UTC)

Wikipedia is run by volunteers. There are several good ways to find Wikipedians in your area who might be able to present at your school or otherwise talk to you about doing a Wikipedia project. I recommend that you start by contacting users on the Omaha WikiProject - Wikipedia:WPOma#Members. I agree with what you are saying and I wish you the best of luck. Blue Rasberry (talk) 17:10, 19 October 2011 (UTC)

Age Limit

How old do you have to be for this program? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.44.156.17 (talk) 22:21, 19 October 2011 (UTC)

This might not be what you call a "program". It is just a project to encourage people to meet in person with others who like libraries or Wikipedia and edit Wikipedia articles about local libraries. If a person is old enough edit Wikipedia and understand the Wikipedia article about a library, then they can participate. Lots of teenagers edit Wikipedia. Blue Rasberry (talk) 01:27, 20 October 2011 (UTC)

Follow-up on documentation of past events

It would be great if event organizers/participants could add a couple more sentences to their meetup pages describing how their events went, activity highlights, articles edited etc. Also, any photos taken would be great!--Pharos (talk) 03:44, 15 November 2011 (UTC)

Examples of successful events

I would like to start planning a WLL event at the University of Michigan, and it would be very helpful to have some examples of how other groups organized, planned and executed successful events. How did you coordinate with the library? How was your event marketed? Was there a schedule or planned sequence of events? How long did it last? etc. Thanks! Cleeder (talk) 14:56, 16 November 2011 (UTC)

If you look on the front page (and follow some of the links) and the issues on this talk page, it seems to me you have a lot from which you can plan a nice event. If there is a clear understanding of what is the purpose of the event, it should work well. -- kosboot (talk) 18:42, 16 November 2011 (UTC)

I would consider successful all of the events that people actually held and attended, and these have been planned and pursued through a healthy diversity of approaches. (For those events where planning fell through, I would consider those ones future successes!). For a listing of most of the events that we know for sure happened, see the story in this month's GLAM-wiki newsletter.--Pharos (talk) 06:50, 29 November 2011 (UTC)

Library Event on March 31, 2012?

Would it be appropriate to schedule a Wikipedia Loves Libraries event on Saturday, March 31, 2012? Granted, it's not when most of the Wikipedia library activity will be, but it fits our college calendar. We would like to have an event focused on inviting people to come to the library at Cottey College in Nevada, Missouri, USA to search environmental topics and fact check them using the library's resources. Our Founder's Day (when alumnae return to visit) will be that weekend, and we propose making the activity a part of the weekend events. Becky Brock Kiel (talk) 22:13, 30 November 2011 (UTC)

WikiWomen's History Month March meetups

Maybe you'd like to consider organizing a local meetup in March for Wikipedia:WikiWomen's History Month. Some events are wholly focused on women's history, while others are using this as a partial focus and also exploring other topics. Let me know if you have any questions :)--Pharos (talk) 21:37, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

Doing it again in Fall 2012!

Who is interested in marking Open Access Week in Fall 2012 with another concerted 'Wikipedia Loves Libraries' campaign around October/November of that year? Places that held events in 2011 and new places are both very welcome to participate :)--Pharos (talk) 21:14, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Interested! (also want to get a Wikipedian-in-Residence for NYPL-LPA). -- kosboot (talk) 23:01, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Why is it just wikipedia?

Do other projects have their own events or something? Seems like commons and wikisource in particular would have much to gain from this. -— Isarra ༆ 08:16, 13 August 2012 (UTC)

Checking the WLL project on outreach.wikimedia.org shows that a number of different projects are a part of Wikipedia Loves Libraries. But most people feel that "Wikipedia" has the name recognition that the other projects don't, and that increases marketability. -- kosboot (talk) 12:00, 13 August 2012 (UTC)

Kosboot's explanation is the popular rationale. Wiki Loves Monuments used a different naming system since most of its work is on Commons, but then, there are some people who object to any particular Wikimedia project being called "Wiki" which is what is happening in that case. I am not sure which way is best. Blue Rasberry (talk) 12:31, 13 August 2012 (UTC)

'Wikipedia' at least makes more sense in a wider context than 'wiki', but though Wikipedia is the more known name, why are these not referred to as 'Wikimedia' things? It sounds similar enough to 'Wikipedia' that people usually make the connection, but it is also more than just Wikipedia. Meantime if we never use the Wikimedia name, how then will it become more known? -— Isarra ༆ 18:46, 13 August 2012 (UTC)

I do not think that now is the time to make the Wikimedia name more well known. It has not been my experience in public presentation that people make the connection that "Wikimedia" is something organizationally connected to "Wikipedia" and that they are just confused until I explain it. Blue Rasberry (talk) 19:33, 13 August 2012 (UTC)

"Wikipedia" is there for recognizability reasons, but certainly commons and wikisource events would be more than welcome to "officially" join the campaign, and be listed as major components of it.--Pharos (talk) 21:57, 13 August 2012 (UTC)

Calling it that is unfair to the other projects, and having to explain things is always necessary at first. Meantime how do you explain the other projects? -— Isarra ༆ 18:03, 15 August 2012 (UTC)

Wikipedia Loves Libraries in Rhode Island

I am a library director for a public library system in Rhode Island. I am interested in setting up some events for Wikipedia Loves Libraries. I'd like to start by having a wikipedian come to our library and instruct our librarians on how to edit entries and how Wikipedia can be used for research.

I want to start a program where our staff and volunteers work on expanding the information about our community in Wikipedia.

I need some help in finding a wikipedian in RI that would be able to help me set this up and provide the training mentioned above.

thanks for your help! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 131.109.225.10 (talk) 20:37, 27 August 2012 (UTC)

I'm thinking of what you can do if no Wikipedian surfaces in Rhode Island (though stating a city/town name might be helpful). (By the way, if you log in, people will be able to leave notes for you.) I don't find Wikipedia that difficult: all it took was just sitting down with it for like 2-3 hours and then I got the basics. If there's just one person on staff who has edited Wikipedia that's probably enough to start training other staff on the basics. Or, if you're near a university, see if anyone from the university community would be interested in helping out. Lacking that, you might try entering content and citations on the talk pages of the articles you want to supplement, then leaving a message (here, for example) asking others integrate the content into the articles. Or, if you are afraid to edit altogether, just talk and show some of the Wikimedia presentations dealing with open access, reliability (or similar issues), and have discussions afterward. I'm sure others will have other ideas. -- kosboot (talk) 19:04, 29 August 2012 (UTC)

Ok, logging in this time. Looking for a RI Wikipedian to help us set up a Wikipedia Loves Libraries program at Cranston Public Library in Cranston, RI. See the above post in this thread. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ultimoed (talk • contribs) 19:37, 30 August 2012 (UTC)

Connecting to local Wikipedians?

The archives I work at is interested in hosting one of these events but I'm not sure how to get in touch with local Wikipedians. I would rather have some feedback from them before actually scheduling an events. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 38.115.62.67 (talk) 19:10, 31 October 2012 (UTC)

If you stated where you are and what is your archive, you might have a better chance. Also, many of the resources on the main page can give you a better idea of how to make contact with people (this is the talk page). -- kosboot (talk) 22:57, 31 October 2012 (UTC)

Freebies

Hello: We are planning an event in Atlanta on November 17. Any ideas on how I can request for some freebies to be sent out to me for distribution at the event? — Ganeshk (talk) 04:46, 10 November 2012 (UTC)

Archiving

I went ahead and moved 2012 events from the "Planned events" page to a newly-created 2012 page. Ideally, both the 2011 and 2012 pages, which are now linked in the "History" section of the page, would contain summaries, successes and highlights from that year. On the main WLL page, the History section would contain an even more birds-eye-view of the project and its past highlights. I added the single 2013 event to the "Planned events" page. Hopefully this cleans things up a little bit, thought some information was moved (not removed) in the process. (See 2011 page.) --Another Believer _(Talk) 20:52, 10 January 2013 (UTC)

Center for Research Libraries

This seems an obvious place where WP and/or WMF should have some liason going on, or perhaps even a Wikipedian in Residence. Certainly wp:RX would benefit from better access to CRL collections. (p.s., the article could use some love...) LeadSongDog come howl! 18:55, 6 March 2013 (UTC)

RfC on new library search tool for Wikipedia

We have a new tool, Forward to Libraries, which helps readers find books at their local library related to the articles they are reading. There is an RfC at Wikipedia:Village pump (proposals)#Linking subjects to books at your local library (Forward to Libraries) to determine how this tool should be used on Wikipedia. Users that are interested may wish to comment there. 64.40.54.57 (talk) 00:48, 20 May 2013 (UTC)

How would I schedule an appointment and what would be necessary to show?

How would it be possible to schedule a meeting for my public library ? would we have to post the activities on here ??? — Preceding unsigned comment added by HerRandomness (talk • contribs) 03:11, 1 September 2013 (UTC)

Do you mean how could you organize a Wikipedia Loves Library meeting/event at your public library? Are you a staff member of that library? If so, check with other staff that it would be ok, and then connect with Wikipedians in your area. If not, you might need to talk to the host library to see if they're interested. If they allow you to use rooms without their supervision, it would still be a good idea to get the staff involved. -- kosboot (talk) 03:51, 1 September 2013 (UTC)

Contact form

Who mans the contact form? How long does it typically take to follow up on a request for information? --BDD (talk) 16:57, 7 September 2013 (UTC)

Evaluating your edit-a-thon

Hi everyone! I recently did an evaluation of an edit-a-thon series I did last year. We're hoping, at the Wikimedia Foundation, that folks will have interest in copying this as a template and idea for evaluating the theory of change and impact of programs like WLL. I hope you have interest, and if I can help in anyway, let me know. You can find my evaluation here. SarahStierch (talk) 18:41, 23 September 2013 (UTC)

To get the ball rolling, we plan to do this in MI. :) Bdcousineau (talk) 23:52, 23 September 2013 (UTC)

Photohunt for Images of Libraries Contest/Project Proposal

On the Wikipedia Libraries listserv User:kosboot suggested a great idea to have a Wikipedia Loves Libraries Photohunt for images of libraries for Commons. Merilee also suggested that this kind of event might be successful in a campus environment that has a lot of libraries, which I would agree with. I propose that we make this a public event on the main cover page of Wikipedia Loves Libraries, and create a category for people that participate to tag their photos for this project. Thoughts?

Wikimedia NYC did a Brooklyn photohunt in September that included the goal of getting photographs of the Brooklyn Public Library branches on this page List of Brooklyn Public Library Branches] this kind of list page for library districts might also be a good way to structure library branch pages/get these photographs on Wikipedia if there is not enough information on particular branches for them to have their own pages. OR drohowa (talk) 16:25, 16 October 2013 (UTC)

Is this the kind of project that the Foundation can work with the American Library Association on to publicize? Possibly with a blurb in ALA's magazine, American Libraries?TeriEmbrey (talk) 18:04, 16 October 2013 (UTC)

Having had Sue Gardner as one of last year's keynote speakers, I wish ALA would be more open to collaborating with Wikipedia. Perhaps this is the hook. -- kosboot (talk) 18:22, 16 October 2013 (UTC)

American Libraries would be a great venue, they've covered Wikipedia Loves Libraries in past years. In addition to monument worldwide, we've also had various specialized national photo contests, for cinemas in the USA, for windmills in the Netherlands, and for nature sites in Ukraine.--Pharos (talk) 04:23, 18 October 2013 (UTC)

Approaching a library or organization for access

Not sure if this is the place to post, I'm an oral surgeon in Canada and active Wikipedian in Project Dentistry. I was thinking about approaching our local University Dental library or association to sponsor journal access for a couple of Wikipedians for work on the project. Is there a standard approach that is used? Do they somehow become a "partner" (e.g. is they're anything in it for them?). Thanks for any info. Ian Furst (talk) 17:26, 16 January 2014 (UTC)

That's the kind of thing that The Wikipedia Library might be able to do. Post on their talk page. -- kosboot (talk) 19:52, 16 January 2014 (UTC)

Leaflet for Wikipedia Loves Libraries at Wikimania 2014

Hi all,

My name is Adi Khajuria and I am helping out with Wikimania 2014 in London.

One of our initiatives is to create leaflets to increase the discoverability of various wikimedia projects, and showcase the breadth of activity within wikimedia. Any kind of project can have a physical paper leaflet designed - for free - as a tool to help recruit new contributors. These leaflets will be printed at Wikimania 2014, and the designs can be re-used in the future at other events and locations.

This is particularly aimed at highlighting less discoverable but successful projects, e.g:

• Active Wikiprojects: Wikiproject Medicine, WikiProject Video Games, Wikiproject Film

• Tech projects/Tools, which may be looking for either users or developers.

• Less known major projects: Wikinews, Wikidata, Wikivoyage, etc.

• Wiki Loves Parliaments, Wiki Loves Monuments, Wiki Loves ____

• Wikimedia thematic organisations, Wikiwomen’s Collaborative, The Signpost

For more information or to sign up for one for your project, go to:
Project leaflets
The deadline for submissions is 1st July 2014.
Adikhajuria (talk) 16:56, 19 June 2014 (UTC)

Wikipedia Wednesdays in Botswana: A librarian-run extracurricular program dedicated to training new Wikipedians and enhancing online information relevant to Botswana

Hello. I am a US medical student working on a Wikipedia Project in Botswana. We are launching a "Wikipedia Wednesdays" extracurricular program on Wednesday March 11. The program will be dedicated to training librarians as well as volunteer faculty, students, and professionals on how to edit and use Wikipedia. If there are any suggestions on how to implement this and train the volunteers, that would be great. I am listening to educator and student Wikipedia instruction videos and have read many of the Wikipedia policies, but any other suggestions would be much welcome. Or if there was an experienced Wikipedian in the area who would like to come join :-) Thanks! Abchave1 (talk) 09:02, 6 March 2015 (UTC)

@Abchave1: Do you have a page dedicated to this WikiWednesday series? If so, you might add it to Wikipedia:Meetup/WikiWednesday. ---Another Believer _(Talk) 21:49, 6 March 2015 (UTC)

@Another Believer: Thanks for the response! Adding a WikiMeetup is on my list of to dos. I will have it up within today or tomorrow. Also am working on getting a website up with a full description of the program, and the Botswana-UPenn Partnership should be coming out with a newsletter describing the project as well. Is Wiki Loves Libraries only US-based, or is it global? Thanks. Abchave1 (talk) 05:36, 9 March 2015 (UTC)

I believe WLL has been primarily a US/Canada campaign thus far, though I don't think anyone would suggest it must remain that way. ---Another Believer _(Talk) 14:33, 9 March 2015 (UTC)

Lakeview (Eastern Oregon)

I would like to help organize a WLL session in Lakeview, Oregon, a remote town without (as far as I know) many Wikipedia users or editors. My goal would be to increase those numbers and to help less experienced users improve their skills.

The format would be classroom/lab, with participants bringing their own laptops or using computers in the library. Possible topics include:

• Using WP to get information (for new users)
• Following WP references to reliable sources that you can use in your term papers or other research
• Creating a user account
• Editing your first article (minor corrections)
• Using online and library resources to add content to articles of personal and local interest
• Finding resources to improve your writing skills

I have not yet pitched the idea to the Friends of the Lake County Library (of which I am a member) but am confident that we could conduct this under their auspices, in the Library meeting room. If other Friends are experienced Wikipedians, I hope they can co-lead, but visiting Wikipedians will be welcomed and accommodations will be provided. I have been a WP editor for 12 years but cannot do this alone, both because of the gaps in my knowledge and because the hopefully large crowd of new/inexperienced users will need a lot of one-on-one help.

I would welcome any reactions or suggestions regarding this proposed format.

Peter Chastain ^[¡habla!] 05:11, 25 June 2018 (UTC)

@Peter Chastain: You might get in touch with the Cascadia User Group. Nikkimaria (talk) 11:56, 25 June 2018 (UTC)

@Nikkimaria: Thanks! Peter Chastain ^[¡habla!] 21:26, 25 June 2018 (UTC)

@Peter Chastain: Wikipedia:WikiProject Oregon, too! This group is way more active than the Cascadia project. ---Another Believer _(Talk) 22:22, 25 June 2018 (UTC)

Georgia WLL meetup in planning.

I am working with a few other folks here in Georgia to set a state-wide meetup for November 2018 in the Macon, Georgia regional library. Would appreciate any pointers someone might offer in this endeavor. The library is offering us a meeting room for free at this point, so all engines are GO at the moment. Would appreciate advice. --TadgStirkland⁴⁰¹ (Tadg^Talk) 01:20, 10 September 2018 (UTC)

You can see our announcement page and join at Wikipedia:Meetup/Atlanta/Wikipedia Loves Libraries 2018. Be nice, it's a work in progress. --TadgStirkland⁴⁰¹ (Tadg^Talk) 14:27, 11 September 2018 (UTC)

@Pharos: would you mind updating the article Wikipedia:Wikipedia Loves Libraries to show our 2018 event properly? I think my edit skills are still a little too limited, and possibly there might appear to be a COI if I edit it myself... Would you mind? --TadgStirkland⁴⁰¹ (Tadg^Talk) 00:15, 12 September 2018 (UTC)