GLAMTLV2018/Submissions/The View from the Top: How to Sell Management on GLAM-Wiki

Submission no. 74
Title of the submission
The View from the Top: How to Sell Management on GLAM-Wiki
Etherpad

Author(s) of the submission
  • Pam Wright, Chief Innovation Officer, US National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
  • Dominic Byrd-McDevitt, Wikipedian in Residence, US National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
E-mail address
dominic.byrd-mcdevitt(_AT_)nara.gov
Country of origin
  • USA
Affiliation, if any (organisation, company etc.)
  • US National Archives and Records Administration (staff) & Wikimedia DC (member/volunteer)

Type of session
  • Talk (the usual conference, format. 30 min)
Length of session
30
Ideal number of attendees

No limit


Abstract

For many years, the US National Archives (NARA), one of the first major GLAM-Wiki partners in the United States, has been deeply involved in the Wikipedia community: hosting editathons, uploading thousands of images, and developing best practices. Crucially, work with Wikipedia enjoys broad support within the organization—all the way to the top, as evinced by David Ferriero, who is probably the most prominent advocate for Wikipedia who is a head of a cultural institution—and has also been noteworthy for its inclusion in official strategy documents. The context for NARA's Wikipedia involvement is a broader institutional approach to promoting innovation, access, and openness—demonstrating how an organization can institutionalize Wikipedia engagement as an established program.

As such, NARA's experiences provide it a unique perspective from which to share insights that may be useful to the broader community, especially those institutions just getting started, or Wikimedians trying to get institutions interested. This talk will provide attendees the rare opportunity to hear from both (1) Pam Wright, a high-level executive from a major global institution who has managed one of the longest-standing GLAM-Wiki programs in the world since its inception; as well as (2) Dominic Byrd-McDevitt, the world's longest-tenured Wikipedian in Residence, who has been involved in the practical implementation of NARA's Wikipedia program. Topics will include how management understands and values Wikipedia, how to talk about Wikipedia to management and gain buy-in, how to integrate Wikipedia work with regular programs to achieve mission goals (i.e., going beyond "just an experiment"). Speakers will also discuss not just successes, but challenges faced in fostering a Wikipedia-friendly ethos within the organization.

What will attendees take away from this session?
  1. Understanding of the concerns of cultural institution leadership
  2. Tips for talking to leadership about Wikipedia
  3. Concrete examples from US National Archives of how Wikipedia was institutionalized
Slides or further information
Special requests


Interested attendees

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  1. KellyDoyle (talk) 02:18, 8 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]
  2. Beireke1 (talk) 12:52, 31 October 2018 (UTC)[reply]
  3. VIGNERON * discut.