Page:NLS Wikimedian in Residence 12 month report.pdf/9

Wikimedian in Residence for the National Library of Scotland

Reviving ScotWiki

One of the major drawbacks for the residency was the lack of a strong community of Wikimedians in Scotland; a previously established ScotWiki community had a handful of meet-ups in Edinburgh in 2008 and in 2011, but had not lasted beyond them. By reaching out to the open knowledge communities in Edinburgh in particular and throughout the country more broadly, links with much-valued volunteers in Edinburgh and Glasgow were created. I also organised and supported a number of joint events with other GLAM organisations to increase the reach of the programme beyond the NLS and Edinburgh, and helped to establish regular meetups in Edinburgh and Glasgow as well as a ScotWiki mailing list, which had 50 subscribers as of July 2014.

Building Networks

Throughout the residency, I have established a number of contacts with GLAM and open knowledge organisations in Scotland, several of whom have either participated in collaborative events or have expressed an interest in the programme and working with Wikimedia. These contacts will prove an essential part of maintaining a strong link between Wikimedia UK and the GLAMWiki initiative in Scotland (see appendices).

In addition, the presence of a Wikimedian in Scotland has helped to build Wikimedia UK's presence here more generally. In December 2013 the NLS hosted the WMUK annual board meeting, which was accompanied by a gathering of Wikimedians from the area both new and old. This board meeting also saw the appointment of a WMUK trustee based in Scotland, another key step to maintaining connections across the distance between Scotland and London. Installing Wikimedians in more official capacities throughout the UK, as far north as Scotland, seems to have the effect of creating a more supportive network to encourage collaboration outside of London (see recommendations).

EduWiki 2014

From Spring 2014, I began working with WMUK's Educational Co-ordinator, Dr Toni Sant, as well as trustees and volunteers in Scotland, to assist in the organisation of EduWiki 2014, held in Edinburgh. Hosting this event in Edinburgh once again signals the growth in Wikimedia UK's reach across the country and solidifies Scotland as an active part of the Wikimedia community. 8