The Wikipedia Library/Processes/Library card platform

The Wikipedia Library's Library Card Platform is a centralised interface through which editors can apply for access to Wikipedia Library partners' resources and account coordinators can process those applications. You can follow the platform's development and tracked issues on Phabricator.

This is a guide aimed at coordinators and TWL staff using the platform.

Administrators

Administrators of the interface (currently the developer(s) and TWL staff & contractors) can access the site's administrative area at https://wikipedialibrary.wmflabs.org/admin/. Guidance on using this interface can be found on GitHub.

Account coordinators

Account coordinators should have had their accounts set to be in the Coordinators user group by an administrator. If this doesn't seem to be the case (i.e. if you can't see the "Review" button on the top bar when logged in), please contact one of the TWL organizers.

To review applications for the partnerships you coordinate:

1. Log in and click the Review button on the top bar
2. Making sure that the Pending review tab is selected, enter a partner name in the Filter applications by partner name box, and click Filter. You should see a list of currently pending applications for that partner.
3. Click on an application to read the user's form response, checking that they meet the account age and edit requirements of 6 months and 500 edits. Here you can leave comments if - for example - you need to ask the user for more information or clarification before processing their application. These comments are only visible to the other account coordinators and the applying editor.
4. On the application review page, or individual applications, you can change the current status of each application. Setting a status of Approved sets the application as ready to be processed via the relevant distribution method.
5. When you've approved a number of applications and are ready to get their accounts set up, click the Send data to partners button, which will take you to a list of partners with approved but unsent accounts.
6. Click a partner to bring up a list of approved applications.
7. Gather the application information and use it as necessary to set up these accounts (e.g. send it on to the listed email if they set up user accounts for us).
8. Click Mark as sent when finished.

After approving editors for access you may want to view the details of their applications. To access these, open the 'Review applications' page and click the 'Sent' tab. You will soon be able to get this data in tabular form.

Authentication-based access

Coordinators will soon be able to provide access to some partners directly, through an authentication method. Users will be able to use their single login to access over half of the currently available partners. For coordinators, this means no longer needing to send user data on to partners to get accounts set up; you'll be in control of who gets access and will be able to grant it immediately. We expect this functionality to be ready in August 2017.

Global coordinators

We don't just want the Library Card platform to be used by English partners; we want to support as many languages as possible, in both the interface and available resources. This will help both your language editors get access to the partnerships we already have (that were previously only available through the English Wikipedia), as well as make your partners visible to the wider community.

If you are a global coordinator who wants to add new partners or migrate existing partners to the platform, a few steps will be necessary to support your language and partners:

1. Interface translation - The interface can be translated on our project page at translatewiki.net (link/guidance to be added). Your language may already have a full translation there, but if not we encourage you to do the translation before making any signups available on the website.
2. Partner description translation - There are over 60 partners already available on the platform, and the translation of their descriptions is handled separately to the other interface text.
3. Adding your partners - In collaboration with the TWL team your partners will be added to the platform ready to accept signups.

   If you have already been collecting signups for a partner, we can import them to the platform so that you have past and future signups in one place.

   If your partners support authentication-based access (please see the information + pitching guide), this is something we can support.

4. Getting you and your account coordinators set up - The TWL team will give you and your other account coordinators the ability to start reviewing applications on the platform!