Activity Report for the Third Quarter of Fiscal Year 2012–13
This report describes the activities of Wikimedia District of Columbia from April 1, 2013 through June 30, 2013.
Flagship events
GLAM Boot Camp
The GLAM Boot Camp was a 3-day training workshop for Wikipedians interested in gaining the knowledge and skills necessary to assist with GLAM-Wiki projects, held at the National Archives on April 26–28. Intended to enlarge the pool of Wikimedians working on GLAM projects by attracting interested yet uninvolved members of the movement, the workshop featured numerous sessions led by Wikimedians experienced in working with cultural institutions. Speakers at the event included the Archivist of the United States, David Ferriero.
Ongoing programs
Academic and educational outreach
On April 20, Wikimedia DC and the George Washington University held the All Things GW Edit-a-Thon, which offered participants a rare chance to visit the archives of the George Washington University Libraries and use their unique resources to research and update Wikipedia pages related to the University and the Foggy Bottom neighborhood. University Archivist Bergis Jules and Jennifer Kinniff, Public Services and Outreach Librarian for Special Collections, led a behind-the-scenes tour of the University Archives.
On May 28 and 30, the National Library of Medicine Edit-a-Thon took place at the United States National Library of Medicine in Bethesda, Maryland. Attendees participated both in-person and via an online webinar.
Cultural outreach
On June 21, the Field Notes Edit-a-Thon, a collaboration with the National Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian Institution Archives, took place at the Museum. Participants learned about the Field Book project, a partnership between the Archives and the Museum which seeks to create a single online location for scientific field books. The event included a special tour of the Russell E. Train Africana Collection, a special collection housed in the Smithsonian Institution Libraries which contains several thousand manuscripts, photographs, original artwork and prints, posters, maps, ephemera, and man-made and natural artifacts relating to exploration, big game hunting, wildlife, and travel in Africa dating from 1663 to the late 1990s.
Government outreach and engagement
On May 4, Wikimedia DC held the Furloughed Feds Workshop at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library. The workshop consisted of a Wikipedia training seminar and edit-a-thon for federal employees interested in learning more on how to edit Wikipedia.
On June 8, the Cato Institute hosted the Legislative Data Meetup, at which participants discussed efforts to increase information about the United States government on Wikipedia.
Public outreach and education
On April 19, Wikimedia DC inaugurated the WikiSalon, a special meetup held twice monthly at the Wikimedia DC offices. The WikiSalon is an informal gathering of Wikimedia enthusiasts, who come together to discuss Wikimedia wikis and collaboratively edit. There is no set agenda for each meeting, and guests are welcome to recommend articles for the group to edit or edit on their own. Subsequent meetings took place on May 8, May 24, June 6, and June 17.
On June 30, Wikimedia DC hosted the Great American Wiknic at the James Buchanan Memorial in Meridian Hill Park.
Wikimedia DC hosted informal dinner meetups on April 13, May 11, and June 15. These monthly events provide an opportunity for attendees to connect with fellow Wikimedians and other free culture movement participants in the region.