Grants:Project/Rapid/FLoW Edit-a-thons

This Wikimedia Foundation grant has a fiscal sponsor. Wikimedia District of Columbia administered the grant on behalf of Norwegianblue.

statusCanceled
Florida Librarians of Wikipedia/FLoW Edit-a-thons 2018-19
The Florida Librarians of Wikipedia plan to hold monthly events over the next year in order to recruit librarians and the patrons they serve as new editors, and to form partnerships with at least one cultural institution in the Tampa Bay area. We require funding in order to reserve space, provide snacks for edit-a-thon attendees, print a reusable Friendly Space policy poster, and to purchase incentive rewards/swag and a user group banner.
targetEnglish Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, Wikidata
start dateAugust 26
end dateJuly 31
budget (local currency)$1000
budget (USD)$1000
grant typeindividual
granteeNorwegianblue
contact(s)• Norwegianblue.wiki(_AT_)gmail.com


Please see the sample Editathon/Training application before drafting your application.

Project Goal

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Choose one or more of the following goals. You can add or delete goals as needed.

  1. Recruit new editors
  2. Increase skills for existing editors
  3. Add or improve content
  4. Form new partnerships in community

Project Plan

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Activities

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Tell us how you'll carry out your project. Be sure to answer the following questions:

1. Are you doing one editathon or training or a series of editathons or trainings?

The Florida Librarians of Wikipedia user group will be holding monthly editathons and/or training sessions.

2. How will you let your community know about the event? Please paste links below to where relevant communities have been notified of your proposal, and to any other relevant community discussions.

At a minimum, these events will be promoted through the countywide public library system, local professional organizations, local colleges and universities, social media, and the community radio station.

3. Do you have experienced Wikimedia editors to lead the event?

Yes, although several of us are relatively new to editing. It is for this reason that our events will also focus on training in addition to active contributions to Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, and Wikidata.

4. Do participants have the equipment or skills needed to participate and contribute high quality content? If not, how will you support them?

As previously indicated, we will focus on providing in-person training at our monthly events. User group coordinators will also be available to help new editors outside of the actual events, in an effort to better support these individuals and encourage ongoing participation.

5. How will you engage participants after the event(s)?

It is our goal to have upcoming event dates (and themes) set at least two months in advance, so participants will know about future events upon attending a given event, increasing the likelihood of continued participation. At each event, we will get to know new participants and their interests, and ask them to suggest ideas for future themes or articles on which to work. With permission, we will add participants' contact information to our email list and encourage them to join our Facebook group so that we can keep them updated on the user group's events. We also plan to track and provide feedback on articles created by our participants. Wiki-themed rewards and swag will be used as incentives for quality contributions and to encourage repeat attendance.

6. Is there anything else you want to tell us about this project?

It is our hope that by focusing our efforts on recruiting librarians and other information professionals, we will have a greater reach within the communities they serve. We have had success in the past, but hope to build more momentum and attract more repeat participants by planning out monthly events for the next year.

We are in the process of rebuilding our user group after several of our most active members have moved away, and some of the items for which we are requesting funding (banner, button-maker, Friendly Space poster) will be long-term investments that will be used for several years.

Impact

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How will you know if the project is successful and you've met your goals? Please include the following targets:

  1. Number of events: 12
  2. Number of participants: 35
  3. Number of new editors: 15
  4. Number of of articles created or improved: 50
  5. Number of repeat participants (for projects that include a series of events): 12

Resources

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What resources do you have? Include information on who is organizing the project, what they will do, and if you will receive support from anywhere else (in-kind donations or additional funding).

We have no financial resources at this time, although we hope to form mutually beneficial partnerships with community groups. We hope to, as we have successfully in the past, team up with the local student organizations of library and information science (affiliated with the American Library Association and Special Libraries Association), which have funded some of our past events. However, we do have a group of nine area librarians who are enthusiastic about participating in these events and helping to recruit and train additional editors. Norwegianblue will be responsible for coordinating the monthly events with the assistance of these individuals.

What resources do you need? For your funding request, list bullet points for each expense and include a total amount.

• Food and beverage fee for library space, $25 x 12 months = $300
• Snacks for monthly events, $25 x 12 months = $300
• Vinyl banner with Florida Librarians of Wikipedia logo = $130
• High-quality, reusable poster print of Friendly Space Policy = $20
• Wiki-themed prizes and swag = $150
• Button-maker = $100
Total Request = $1000

Endorsements

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Community members are encouraged to endorse your project request here!

  • I've worked with the grantee through USF SOLIS (University of South Florida Student Organizations of Library & Information Science) on several Wikipedia edit-a-thon events. With this grant, Florida Librarians of Wikipedia can further build on the momentum created by previous Wikipedia events in the Tampa Bay Area by involving not only the university but local librarians and the greater community as well. PersnicketyPaul (talk) 23:19, 17 July 2018 (UTC)
  • Because I believe the validity of Wikipedia can be strengthened by having librarians as editors. Xelaflores (talk) 19:58, 18 July 2018 (UTC)
  • I'm an academic librarian in the Tampa Bay area who has experience supervising student Wikipedia assignments and projects. This project would help raise awareness with local colleagues and faculty and may lead to Education Program collaborations. Tburress (talk) 20:45, 18 July 2018 (UTC)

Participants

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  • Volunteer I plan to participate in Wikipedia meetings and events hosted by Florida Librarians of Wikipedia. PersnicketyPaul (talk) 23:11, 17 July 2018 (UTC)
  • Volunteer with moral and perhaps technical support from a distance. Gamaliel (talk) 23:27, 17 July 2018 (UTC)
  • Volunteer I have experience leading Wikipedia workshops and supervising student projects via Wikipedia Education Program. I could help develop programming at local events and also share my own published work that explore the connections between information literacy and Wikipedia. Tburress (talk) 20:47, 18 July 2018 (UTC)
  • Volunteer Happy to help with planning, outreach, and facilitation of events. Meganzilla (talk) 12:51, 23 July 2018 (UTC)