Activity report (Q3 2012–2013)

This report describes the activities of Wikimedia District of Columbia from April 1, 2013 through June 30, 2013.

Program events

All Things GW Edit-a-Thon

On April 20, Wikimedia DC and the George Washington University held the All Things GW Edit-a-Thon, which offered participants a rare opportunity 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. The event included a behind-the-scenes tour of the University Archives led by University Archivist Bergis Jules and Jennifer Kinniff, Public Services and Outreach Librarian for Special Collections.

Specific outcomes of the edit-a-thon included the creation of 2 new articles and various improvements made to 8 additional articles.

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GLAM Boot Camp

On April 26–28, Wikimedia DC and the National Archives held the inaugural GLAM Boot Camp, a three-day training workshop designed to teach attendees how to execute GLAM-Wiki projects. 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, including Wikimedia DC's Cultural Partnerships Coordinator, Dominic McDevitt-Parks, and Lori Byrd Phillips, former US Cultural Partnerships Coordinator at the Wikimedia Foundation.

Notable guests at the event included the Archivist of the United States, David Ferriero; Pamela Wright, Chief Innovation Officer at the National Archives and Records Administration; and Michael Edson, Director of Web and New Media Strategy at the Smithsonian Institution.

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  David Ferriero, Archivist of the United States, speaks to attendees at the workshop

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  David Ferriero, Archivist of the United States, speaks to attendees at the workshop

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  Dominic McDevitt-Parks, Wikimedia DC Cultural Partnerships Coordinator, speaks to attendees at the workshop

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  Workshop attendees at the National Archives

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  Workshop attendees at the National Archives

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  Workshop attendees visit the National Gallery of Art

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  Workshop attendees record the "Wikipedia Weekly" podcast at National Archives

Furloughed Feds Workshop

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.

Specific outcomes of the edit-a-thon included various improvements made to 9 articles.

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  Attendees at the workshop

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  Wikimedia DC Officers James Hare, Kristin Anderson, and Peter Meyer at the workshop

National Library of Medicine Edit-a-Thon

On May 28 and 30, two National Library of Medicine Edit-a-Thon events took place at the United States National Library of Medicine in Bethesda, Maryland. Attendees participated both in-person and via an online webinar.

Specific outcomes of the edit-a-thons included the creation of 2 new articles and various improvements made to 13 additional articles.

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  Edit-a-thon attendees at the National Library of Medicine

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  Edit-a-thon in progress at the National Library of Medicine

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  Attendees touring the National Library of Medicine

Legislative Data Meetup

On June 8, Wikimedia DC and the Cato Institute held a Legislative Data Meetup at which participants discussed efforts to increase information about the United States government on Wikipedia. As a result of the event, Cato Institute staff have begun working to add information about legislation to Wikipedia articles.

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Field Notes Edit-a-thon

On June 21, the Field Notes Edit-a-Thon, a collaboration among Wikimedia DC, 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.

Specific outcomes of the edit-a-thon included the creation of 4 new articles, various improvements made to 7 additional articles, and uploads of 13 new image files.

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View blog post

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  Edit-a-thon attendees at the National Museum of Natural History

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  Edit-a-thon in progress at the National Museum of Natural History

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  Edit-a-thon in progress at the National Museum of Natural History

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  Organizers of the edit-a-thon

Social events

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 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.

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  Attendees at the inaugural WikiSalon on April 19

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  Attendees discussing Wikipedia and free culture at a WikiSalon

Organizational development

During the period between April and June, inclusive, the membership of Wikimedia DC increased from 39 members to 57 members, corresponding to an aggregate growth of 46%. Wikimedia DC adopted a Friendly Space Policy in April and an Expense Reimbursement Policy in May.