# Wikimedian in Residence for the National Library of Scotland, Twelve month project report, July 2013–July 2014

Wikimedian in Residence for the National Library of Scotland
Twelve month project report, July 2013 – July 2014
ALLY CROCKFORD
31 July, 2014
Wikimedian in Residence for the National Library of Scotland
Twelve month project report, July 2013 – July 2014
* Introduction
* Outcomes at the NLS
* Outcomes in the Community
* Reflections
* Wikimedian in Residence for the National Library of Scotland | 7/31/2014
* Recommendations
* Case Studies
* Appendices
[Logos Omitted.]
INTRODUCTION
A Wikimedian in Residence (WiR) is a Wikimedian who dedicates time to working in-house at an organization. The role is fundamentally about enabling the host organisation and its members to continue a productive relationship with the encyclopaedia and its community after the Residency is finished. The aim is to promote understanding of Wikimedia projects amongst NLS staff, as well as GLAM organisations in Scotland more generally, by organising workshops and events. The role essentially boils down to three component parts: facilitating content creation, internal political consultation for change, and working for benefit of the Wikimedia and GLAM communities.
Background
Discussions regarding the installation of a Wikimedian in Residence at the National Library of Scotland first emerged out of a training session for NLS staff members held in Edinburgh by British Library WiR Andrew Gray in 2012. A proposal for support from WMUK was subsequently submitted, with the result being that WMUK offered a grant to supplement the costs of salary, and support costs for events, travel, and accommodation where required. The job opening was posted in April 2013, and as the first position of its kind in Scotland it received significant media attention across the UK. In July 2013, Ally Crockford took up the post in a part-time capacity for 8 months; this was then extended a further 4 months on a part time basis by the WMUK Board in December 2013.
Aims and Objectives Current estimations suggest that the Library holds between 17 and 21 million items in its collection. Initial concepts for an ideal outcome of the Wikimedian-in-Residence programme at the NLS included the opening up of access to these sources by uploading digitised copies to Wikisource or Wikimedia Commons in some cases, and by building strong links between Wikipedia and existing free online collections hosted by the NLS in others. It was also hoped that the increase in contribution and the organisation of events and workshops will encourage more active contributions to Wikimedia projects across Scotland. The stated objectives outlined in the job plan issued by the NLS to WMUK included the following:
Public Outreach:
* Help the Library develop an outreach policy to coordinate contributions from the wider Scottish community to develop Wikimedia in under-represented areas and minority languages
* To promote digital engagement in areas related to the work of the National Library of Scotland
* Delivery of 3+ public workshops for editors (i.e. edit-a-thons) Staff Workshops:
* Provide training opportunities for staff, volunteers, and researchers associated with the NLS
* Delivery of 7+ workshops for National Library of Scotland staff and researchers, or related institutions.
Contributor Communities:
* Establish relationships with the Scottish Wikimedia community, editors, and projects with the aim of an increase in the number of contributors in Scotland
* Collaboration with key partners both within and without the GLAM sector
Digital Content:
* The identification of material for future Wikimedia digitisation projects
* To make information or materials held by the institution available via the Wikimedia projects, e.g. releasing text, images, and other multimedia files under a free license where appropriate
OUTCOMES AT THE NLS
Overview
* Educated staff at the National Library of Scotland as well as several external organisations about the possibilities of open licensing and collaborating with Wikimedia. This includes5 internal training session, 1 external training session, 6 presentations, 2 recorded talks or interviews, and a workshop on 'Working with Wikimedia' for external GLAMs.
* 9 successful editathons were held during the course of the residency, 8 of which were held in Scotland. In total, events in Scotland gathered some 115 participants, of which an average of 80% were women. Through these events and staff training sessions approximately 75 new users were trained, 35 new articles created and an additional 34 articles improved.
* Opportunity to speak to or collaborate with several other GLAM organisations throughout Scotland, including:
** The Special Library Association Europe, Grampian Information, Glasgow Museums, Jisc RSC Scotland,and Edinburgh City Libraries (presentations delivered)
** The Scottish Poetry Library, Glasgow Women’s Library, British Computer Society Women (Edinburgh chapter), Royal Society of Edinburgh, Medical Research Council, the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, and the Humanities Advanced Technology and Information Institute (HATII) in Glasgow (events organised)
* Renewal and growth of a ScotWiki community of contributors based in Scotland (although primarily Edinburgh and Glasgow areas–see recommendations) and the re-establishment of regular ScotWiki meet-ups in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Successful launch of the ScotWiki mailing list: list has 50+ subscribers as of July 2014
* Change in opinions and encouragement of an ongoing discussion about open licenses, open access, and working with Wikimedia at the National Library of Scotland, resulting in the approval of a much more open Metadata and Digital Content Licensing Policy by the NLS board of trustees in March 2014. *The release of 1100 public domain images from the National Library of Scotland’s digitised content under a CC-0 license for all jpeg variations, and the uploading of all 1100 files to Wikimedia Commons using the GLAMWiki Toolset in June/July 2014
* The identification of nearly 11,000 more files scheduled for release as the project continues through to Spring 2015.
AN IMAGE RELEASED FROM NLS COLLECTIONS IN JUNE 2014
​Education
Early in the residency, much of my time was spent educating staff members about the possibilities that working with Wikimedia and releasing content on open licenses would offer the Library. In the first two months of the project, I had meetings with several key teams in the Library, including curators working with rare books, manuscripts, maps, modern collections, international collections, and the Scottish Screen Archives. I also met with the Ingest Managers, the Collection and Interpretation Managers, and the Education and Outreach team. All told, these discussions reached approximately 50 members of staff, while additional events like the Wiki & Biccy session and a 'Can You Beat Wikipedia?' table at the Library’s MacMillan Coffee Morning, reached a further 15-20 staff members. The meetings were aimed at increasing awareness of the benefits of collaborating with Wikimedia, but were equally focused on getting feedback from members of staff across the Library regarding any concerns or scepticism they may have.
During this time I also produced a 30 page information booklet designed to present NLS staff members with a succinct and easily accessible reference guide to contributing to Wikipedia, working with open licenses, and working with Wikimedia Projects more widely. This booklet was later revised to suit a wider audience of GLAM staff and volunteers, and was made publicly available and editable on Commons and on the GLAM-Wiki bookshelf.
While responses to the collaboration were generally positive throughout the Library, the results of this educational campaign took some time to manifest. Despite an initial perception amongst NLS managerial staff that a Wikimedia compatible open access policy for digital content would take several years to be realised, a proposed Metadata and Digital Content Licensing Policy was drafted, discussed, and approved over a period of approximately 8 months, coming into effect in April 2014. The policy itself also represents an incredible step on the Library’s part towards committing itself to open access.
Metadata and Digital Content Licensing Policy
The new National Library of Scotland Metadata and Digital Content Licensing Policy effectively laid out the following terms:
* All metadata produced by the National Library of Scotland would be made freely available under a CC-0 license
* All access-quality digital content derived from material currently in the public domain would be released under a CC-0 license
* For the time being, master quality versions (see note) would be retained by the Library to be released on a case-by-case basis for income generation
While the procedure supporting this policy is still undergoing development, and is likely to take an additional year, the policy means that future content generated by NLS digitisation projects which comes from the public domain will also be released onto an open license and made Wiki-compatible.
Content release
In early June 2014, the first batches of content were uploaded to Wikimedia Commons. Photos from the construction of the Forth Bridge and the Tay Bridge disaster were the first to be uploaded, followed by sketches of locations around ​Scotland from the early 19th century publication Scotia Depicta (1804) and theatrical posters and photographs from the Weir Collection. In total, approximately 1100 images were uploaded in the first two months.
AN IMAGE UPLOADED FROM THE WEIR COLLECTION
A procedure focusing on smaller upload batches was identified early on as having a greater potential for efficiency and accuracy during the upload process itself as well as for a higher rate of integration and usage once the content was live on Commons (see Case Study II: Releasing Content at the NLS for details).
Collections confirmed for upload in as the project continues include:
* The Aberdeen Breviary – The Latin church service book that was the reason printing was introduced to Scotland. Printed in Edinburgh in 1510. Two full volumes comprising 1500 pages.
* The Hopkinson Verdi Collection-An internationally renowned collection of scores and libretti of the works of Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901), collected by music bibliographer Cecil Hopkinson (1898-1977). As well as music scores, the collection includes ephemeral material, like concert programmes, newspaper cuttings, photographs and stamps. Includes approx. 2750 files.
* Slezer’s Scotland (engravings) – Over 70 original 17th century engravings of important Scottish towns and buildings from military engineer John Slezer’s 1693 publication of Theatrum Scotiae.
* The Hutton Drawings-Over 500 drawings, maps, plans and prints relating mainly to Scottish churches and other ecclesiastical buildings. A few depict castles or other secular dwellings. Drawings date mostly from 1781-1792 and 1811-1820.
* The Gutenberg Bible –1375 images encompassing special shots taken to record watermarks, red printing and other special features unique to the National Library of Scotland’s edition of the Gutenberg Bible.
* Illuminated Barrett Browning poems, Sonnets from the Portuguese – Phoebe Anna Traquair’s illustrated manuscript of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Sonnets from the Portuguese, made in Edinburgh between 1892 and 1897. Contains 44 illustrated sonnets.
* WWI photographs from the Haig Collection–Over 1800 photographs of the First World War, taken by official British war photographers, largely for propaganda purposes.
* Photographs of the South Side of Edinburgh-138 black-and-white photographs taken in 1929 showing tenements and shops around St Leonards before buildings were pulled down for slum clearance.
(Approximately 11,000 total files identified for current and future upload as of July 2014)
AN IMAGE UPLOADED FROM THE JACOBITE BROADSIDES RESOURCE
Presentations and workshops
Several presentations were made both within the NLS and to external GLAM organisations both in Scotland and abroad. All told, these presentations reached an audience of approximately 300 people, and the wider online impact of recorded talks and interviews is unknown. The events included:
* Presentation: 'Wikimedians in the Library'—Library Science Talks, CERN Library (Geneva) and Swiss National Library (Bern), Switzerland (June 2014)—15 people (talk recorded)
* 'Interview with Wikimedian in Residence at the NLS'—SLA Europe podcast (June 2014)—talk recorded
* 'Metadata and Digital Content Licensing Policy at the NLS'—Training workshop, National Library of Scotland (June 2014)—15 people
* Working with Wikimedia half-day GLAM workshop, Edinburgh (June 2014), 11 people (see Case Study for details)
* Presentation: 'A Wikimedian in Residence at the NLS'—Glasgow Museums AGM, Glasgow (June 2014)—30 people
* Joint training session with Pat Hadley for Open Access Archaeology group (May 2014)—4 people
* Presentation: 'Wikimedia, GLAM, and Open Access'—What I Know Is Symposium, University of Stirling (March 2014)—30 people
* 'Open access licensing, Wikimedia, and art'—Round Table Forum: Art and IPR in an Open Access Digital Policy, University of Dundee (March 2013)—15 people
* Presentation: 'Do you have the facts about Wikipedia?'—Special Library Association Europe, Edinburgh (March 2014)—20 people
* Presentation: 'Imagining a World: Wikimedia and open access innovations at the NLS'—The EDGE Conference, Edinburgh (February 2014)—110 people
* Joint training session for Glasgow School of Art Library and Archives with Graeme Arnott (December 2013)—3 people
* Presentation: 'Wikimedia, libraries, and open-access knowledge building'—Grampian Information Annual Conference, Aberdeen (November 2013)—40 people
* 'What is a Wikimedian? Tales from the NLS Wikimedian in Residence'—Jisc RSC Scotland webinar (October 2013)—at least 10 people (talk recorded)
* Five training sessions for NLS curatorial and digital access staff (2013-2014), 20+ people
* Wiki & Biccy information session, National Library of Scotland (October 2013)—10 people
NLS WIKIMEDIAN IN RESIDENCE SPEAKING AT SWISS NATIONAL LIBRARY, JUNE 2014
Edit-a-thons
In total, I organised or helped to run 9 edit-a-thons during the course of the residency. 8 of these were held in Scotland, and I lead the training on 7 of them. The total number of participants was approximately 85 (including 75 new users), and 80% were women. The edit-a-thons included: PARTICIPANTS AT THE ANYBODY BUT BURNS EDITATION, JAN 2014
* Scottish Women in Computing (with BCS Women, Edinburgh) in Edinburgh, March 2014 (5 people)
* Scottish Women in Contemporary Art (with Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design) at the University of Dundee, March 2014 (7 people)
* TaPRA Edit-a-thon (organised by Toni Sant, with HATII) in Glasgow, March 2013 (7 people)
* Anybody but Burns (with Scottish Poetry Library) at the National Library of Scotland, January 2014 (13 people)
* RSE/MRC Women in Science Edit-a-thon at the Royal Society of Edinburgh, December 2013 (21 people)
* Cambridge AWiSE Women in Science Edit-a-thon (with MRC and Wellcome Trust) in Cambridge, November 2013 (15 people)
* Scottish Women on Wikipedia (organised by Graeme Arnott, with Glasgow Women’s Library) in Glasgow, November 2013 (8 people)
* Forgotten Faces/Absent Places (internal staff event) at the National Library of Scotland, November 2013 (5 people)
* Ada Lovelace Festival of Wikipedia (with BCS Women, Edinburgh) in Edinburgh, October 2013 (4 people)
Blog posts and articles
I wrote guest blog posts for related open knowledge blogs as well as the Wikimedia UK blog, and also wrote or provided an interview or information for several articles published both online and in print. These included:
* Blog post: 'Working with GLAMs, Working with Wikimedia,' for Wikimedia UK Blog (July 2014)
* Blog post: 'Anybody but Burns event a success,' for Wikimedia UK Blog (29 January 2014)
* Blog post: 'Introducing Scotland's first Wikimedian in Residence', for Open Knowledge Foundation Scotland Blog (1 October 2013)
* Blog post: 'A month as Wikimedian in Residence at the National Library of Scotland', for Wikimedia UK Blog (16 August 2013)
* Article: 'The People’s Library.' Post Magazine, Issue 2 (January 2014)
* Article: 'Burns Night celebrations around the UK.' The Telegraph (January 2014)
* Article: 'Burns Night 2014—events round-up.' The List (January 2014)
* Article: 'Meet the Residents: Wikimedian in Residence.' NLS Discover, Issue 24 (Winter 2013), p. 23.
* Article: 'Scotland's Wikimedian in Residence.' Broadsheet Magazine, Issue 27 (Summer 2013), p. 5.
* Article: 'NLS Collections to go Global.' Holyrood Connect (July 2013)
OUTCOMES IN THE COMMUNITY
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).
WIKIMEDIANS MEET IN GLASGOW, DECEMBER 2013 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.
REFLECTIONS
Positive influences
There were a number of significant factors that had a positive influence on the outcomes of the residency and my ability to achieve my objectives. Without a doubt, the most influential was the discovery of a supportive community at the NLS and in the wider GLAM community in Scotland, as well as the emergence of an engaged and active community of local Wikimedians. Over the course of the year’s residency, it became increasingly apparent that the GLAM community in Scotland shared the primary goals of the Wikimedia Foundation and Wikimedians, and this overlap became a crucial aspect of working towards establishing an ongoing relationship between the two in Scotland.
Scottish GLAMs are very interested in the opportunities offered by collaborations with Wikimedia, and this seems to be part of an open agenda that is growing in strength and influence throughout the country. The National Library of Scotland in particular demonstrated a sympathetic approach to open access well before the collaboration in its deliberate cultivation of an array of high-quality, yet entirely free and open, online resource made available on its website. That the majority of digital content from the NLS was and continues to be made available free of charge and without registration shows a pre-existing commitment to openness. The Library’s purpose, as stated in the 2011-2014 strategy, is described as 'The National Library of Scotland exists to advance universal access to knowledge about Scotland and in Scotland.'
My support within the NLS was extremely positive as well; my line manager worked hard to facilitate the goals of the residency, and I also received significant support from colleagues in different departments of the Library and from members of upper management. Beyond the host institution, I was given extensive support from Wikimedia UK and previous Wikimedians in Residence to help outline and follow through a successful series of events, and to ensure the release of digital content later in the residency. Another undoubtedly significant influence was the flexibility of the goals and objectives of the residency itself. While the agreement between the NLS and WMUK outlined a general set of objectives, both Wikimedia and the Library were receptive to allowing for re-evaluation and adaptation throughout the programme, which was essential to determining what would offer us the best chances for a sustainable partnership in the long term.
Detracting influences
While the Library was extremely open and supportive at all levels throughout the residency, there were some broader cultural factors which proved obstacles to achieving the kind of collaboration envisaged by both parties. From my arrival at the organisation, recent instability in the NLS’s staffing infrastructure made it difficult to establish and maintain contact with the appropriate curator or manager, and posed some problems in terms of hesitancy on the part of staff to engage with the programme. A heavy existing workload for staff members likewise resulted in hesitance and lower participation on their part, in particular with regards to individual editing.
Furthermore, a climate within GLAMs more broadly that emphasises income generation based on content created anxiety with regards to the release of digital content to an open repository like Wikimedia Commons. Concerns were raised by staff members over whether the uploading of content to Commons would render NLS digital resources unnecessary, or would detract from their impact. Similarly, there was some anxiety over whether usage of the content released to Commons would have a negative impact for the Library, whether by generating bad publicity in the case of controversial re-use, or again by detracting from Library services. While reassurances and discussion helped address some of these anxieties, their influence remained in the restriction of released content to compressed .jpg files rather than to all versions of digitised public domain content.
​Gill Hamilton—Digital Access Manager, NLS
Ally's objectives for the year were jointly determined by the Library and Wikimedia UK and all objectives that were set have been accomplished where there were not dependencies on other work. ALLY CROCKFORD, NLS WIKIMEDIAN IN RESIDENCE, AND GILL HAMILTON, NLS DIGITAL ACCESS MANAGER, WIKIMEDIA UK OFFICES JULY 2013
Ally has achieved a significant amount in the time she's been with the Library. She has led many public and staff workshops, has raised the profile and awareness of both the Library and WMUK and its projects, and she has played a significant role in influencing the Library on the development of its open content policy.
The Residency has not been without its challenges for Ally including: acting as the interface between the Library as a "traditional organisation" and WMUK as a modern, progressive organisation; an expectation that staff would make a greater contribution to Wikimedia projects than they did; and the amount of time she has had to spend on events organisation. Ally has worked diplomatically with NLS and WMUK and has considered and used different approaches to engaging Library staff.
Ally is an open, approachable and committed colleague. I am proud of what Ally has achieved for the Digital Access team, the Library and WMUK, and I hope she is too.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Recommendations for Wikimedia UK
In terms of an on-going ScotWiki community, I would highly recommend increasing an official presence in Scotland, either through the establishment of more Wikimedians in Residence, or by appointing ambassadors who can continue outreach and act as a point of contact for organisations, groups, or individuals interested in contributing or running events. One of the less tangible but, I feel, most significant outcomes of the residency has been the increased profile of GLAMWiki collaborations and Wikimedia's mission as a whole in Scotland, and I would put this down to a consistent presence and a local contact for interested parties. It would be a shame to lose this momentum once the WiR is no longer in post, and previous experiences with a ScotWiki community suggest that without a larger and more official presence, the initiative struggles.
In terms of the Wikimedian in Residence programme and GLAMWiki collaborations, my recommendations would include:
* Clearer documentation and instructions for the process of releasing content to Commons, ideally drawn from existing residencies and their experiences (i.e. clarification regarding batch upload processes available and their risks & benefits, materials for the creation of templates for uploaded materials, etc)
* That the organising Wikimedia chapter make an effort to visit outpost residencies or ambassadors during their tenure, as well as arranging for visits to headquarters; events like the December WMUK Board meeting and social and individual visits from WMUK staff I think were an excellent way of ensuring that the residency was given greater legitimacy in the eyes of the Wikimedia community, as well as fostering a greater connection between chapter and WiRs and offering a better opportunity for reflection and feedback on the project on both sides
* The establishment of a flexible programme of goals and objectives during the planning stage of any residency, or else a willingness to re-evaluate the expectations of a WiRship (from both the host's perspective and the chapter's) both before and during the term of residence. This flexibility was instrumental in the course of this residency, as it was demonstrated early on that some of the initial aims - particularly the training of staff and staff's eventual involvement - were not feasible projects to focus on. Similarly, the nature of the programme itself necessitates the ability to respond to the situation in which the resident finds themselves, in terms of their host organisation, their own personal experience, the local community and the Wikimedia community.
Other recommendations follow those outlined by previous Wikimedians in Residence, specifically pertaining to the tracking of metrics once content has been uploaded to Wikimedia Commons. However, measuring the success of the programme itself has often been noted as difficult due to the subjective nature of the work involved and the lack of hard metrics in most cases. Most crucially, for working with GLAM organisations, I would recommend increasing the visibility of tools available for the measurement of Wikimedia/Wikipedia content, and would certainly strongly recommend the development of tools with more extensive functionality and with a wider remit than Wikimedia projects alone. To be able to track the impact of content that has been used outside of Wikipedia articles but has come from Wikimedia Commons would be incredibly valuable for providing encouraging statistics to GLAMs who have collaborated or are working to make a case for collaboration.
​(Sample) Wikipedian-in-Residence Scope diagram for a GLAM-Wikimedian Partnership
Recommendations for the National Library of Scotland
In terms of the National Library of Scotland's involvement with GLAMWiki collaborations and an on-going relationship with Wikimedia, it seems to me that the best opportunities for a lasting relationship lie in the release of digital content, the incorporation of that content into Wikipedia as widely as possible, and the continued support of events in collaboration with other organisations, groups, or individuals. At present, the lack of involvement with curatorial staff, education and outreach staff, and events management staff, make sustaining this kind of support in particular difficult.
I would therefore recommend that the Library shift its attention away from training employees on Wikipedia and towards raising awareness of Wikimedia style events, how to organise them, and their benefits and overall impact. I would also recommend that these kinds of events receive support from the outreach and events management staff on the same level as other significant Library-hosted events. I would also recommend that the Library aim to organise and run at least one large-scale Wikimedia event each year, ideally a backstage pass type event to enhance an exhibition, and incorporate the organisation of this event into staff job plans and, where necessary, into the exhibition planning stage.
I also recommend that the Library consider releasing the master .tiff versions of all compatible files as part of its annual review of the new open access policy, once the policy and a method for uploading content and metadata are in place. Finally, as a National Library I would recommend that the NLS approach other Scottish GLAM organisations to introduce them to the terms of the Metadata and Digital Content Licensing Policy, and to outline the concerns and discussions that fed into its approval and implementation.
CASE STUDY
I. Working with Wikimedia Workshop
The Working with Wikimedia workshop initially emerged from a proposed symposium on Open Access in UK GLAM organisations. This symposium was envisaged as an event in which would be invited to contribute their own policies or approaches to releasing digital content. Representatives from Wikimedia UK and other open agenda communities would also be invited, with the hopes of establishing a forum in which to discuss the desires, concerns, and plans that each organisation has with respect to open access content online.
The format of an invitational workshop discussion was then adapted to focus on the number of Scottish GLAM organisations that had approached me regarding the prospect of collaborating on an event or hosting their own Wikimedian at some point in the future. A programme was designed which would prove both informational for GLAMs in Scotland interested in collaborating with Wikimedia, but also which would ideally prove of use to Wikimedia UK in terms of developing new initiatives for GLAM-Wiki collaborations.
Programme
14:00-14:15 – Welcome and introductions 14:15-14:45 – Wikimedia GLAM events: What are they, how do they work? 14:45-15:30 – Open discussion: Supporting Wikimedia events 15:30-15:45 – Refreshment break 15:45-16:30 – Breakout groups: What would help, potential barriers 16:30-17:00 – Conclusion : Open discussion and feedback
Event details
The workshop was held at the University of Edinburgh Library on 6 June 2014. The workshop ran from 1:30 to 5pm, with tea, coffee, and biscuits provided for attendants. 11 representatives attended from 9 different organisations.
Reflections
The open discussion and breakout group elements of the workshop appeared to be useful in generating conversation about some of the general questions GLAMs have when working with Wikimedia. Part of the breakout groups session asked participants to discuss potential future events and sketch out a plan to realise the collaboration, which lead to interesting responses regarding the types of events that the representatives were interested in holding. One representative from a Glasgow Museum was interested in the prospect of folding the addition of content onto Commons into an interactive media response to an exhibition, recording visitors’ reactions to the exhibition which could then be released, creating a new kind of record of Glasgow’s cultural history. Other representatives discussed working Wikimedia events into exhibition schedules, or working with Wikidata to crowdsource desired projects. Overall, participants responded well to the event, citing it as informative and thought-provoking. Since the event, three participants have made contact regarding the prospect of following up on the collaborations outlined during the breakout groups. Participants were also given contact details for Wikimedia UK staff, and useful links for collaborating and running Wiki events.
CASE STUDY
II. Releasing Digital Content at the NLS
At the outset of the Wikimedian in Residence programme at the National Library of Scotland, the Library had no set policy regarding the licensing of its digital content and metadata. Licenses on content displayed in the Library’s Digital Gallery resources varied from copyrighted scans of public domain content to material released under a CC-BY-NC-SA license. There also were some cases where copyrighted material was displayed in the Digital Gallery with permissions. Overall, the Library’s approach to licensing was inconsistent and often unclear, both for users and Library staff. In all cases, the content was held under licenses too restrictive for its inclusion on Wikimedia Commons, making it difficult for the residency to achieve some of its stated objectives.
Policy draft:
In early 2014, Digital Access Manager Gill Hamilton submitted a Metadata and Digital Content Licensing draft policy to the Digital National Librarians’ Digital Group (DNL-Digital) for discussion and feedback. The draft policy offered three licensing options: the most open, option one, proposed placing all NLS-created metadata and all public domain content into the public domain on a CC-0 license, regardless of the image resolution or quality. The least open, option three, proposed placing all NLS-created metadata and low-resolution/quality public domain digital content under a CC-0 license while retaining high-resolution content for income generation. The policy was revised and redrafted with input from the DNL-Digital; at the end of February 2014, DNL-Digital groups opted to submit option three to the Corporate Leadership Team (CLT) for final approval.
Institutional concerns:
While the draft policy was being discussed and implemented, a number of concerns were raised with regards to its parameters and the effect that this might have on the Library in the long term. Risks identified included:
* Reduction to income generation
* Loss of control over NLS content
* Potential for damage to Library’s representation
Procedures were identified and set in place to confirm the likelihood of these risks becoming a concern for the Library, and to mitigate them wherever possible. These mitigating procedures included:
* An annual policy review
* Request for attribution to be outlined in procedural documentation once policy is implemented
* Files to be wrapped with EXIF, IPCC metadata indicating the source is the National Library of Scotland
In the end, all risks were deemed acceptable and the policy was approved by the CLT in March 2014, to be implemented as of April of that year. In addition to the risk assessment, staff expressed concerns that releasing content to Wikimedia Commons would undermine the use or effectiveness of existing digital resources provided by the NLS.
The Wikimedian in Residence argued that Wikimedia Commons has a different aim, and therefore focuses on a different (and much wider) audience than any NLS digital resource, and that releasing content would not only enhance both platforms, but would increase traffic to the NLS digital gallery. This was supported with evidence from other GLAM-Wiki collaborations where content was released, as at the British Library and the National History Museum, as well as from preliminary metrics provided by the Library’s own website analytics.
​Metadata and Digital Content Licensing Policy
The new National Library of Scotland Metadata and Digital Content Licensing Policy effectively laid out the following terms:
* All metadata produced by the National Library of Scotland would be made freely available under a CC-0 license
* All access-quality digital content derived from material currently in the public domain would be released under a CC-0 license
* For the time being, master quality originals of all content (see note) would be retained by the Library to be released on a case-by-case basis for income generation
While the procedure supporting this policy is still undergoing development, and is likely to take an additional year, the policy means that future content generated by NLS digitisation projects which comes from the public domain will also be released onto an open license and made Wiki-compatible.
Implementation and Wiki release
Once the policy had been approved and was in effect, I worked with the Digital Access team and Intellectual Property Officer to identify material appropriate for upload to Wikimedia Commons. I also began developing a procedure for uploading content and the associated Library metadata in large batches using the GWToolset feature (still in beta). The aim was to set in place a method by which members of the Digital Access team could easily be given access to and training on the tools necessary to upload digital content from future digitisation projects onto Wikimedia Commons on an ongoing basis. XML metadata files specific to the batch upload process were created for the identified content and metadata mapping .json files created for the toolset, and the content was test-uploaded on the Wikimedia Commons Beta Cluster (see Procedure, below). In addition, the National Library of Scotland institution tag was updated to provide more accurate information, and the Metadata tag was likewise improved in terms of detail and accuracy.
After an assessment by myself, Gill Hamilton (Digital Access Manager), and Fred Saunderson (Intellectual Property Officer), it was agreed that for the purposes of releasing content to Wikimedia Commons, 'low-resolution content' would instead refer to 'low-quality' content, meaning all compressed .jpg versions of digital images would be released and uploaded where appropriate. Only the master .tiff scan of the original content would be retained. This allows for .jpgs of 2500px to be uploaded in all cases where such file sizes are available.
A procedure focusing on smaller upload batches was identified early on as having a greater potential for efficiency and accuracy during the upload process itself as well as for a higher rate of integration and usage once the content was live on Commons. The batches will follow the scope of existing NLS digital gallery collections, typically ranging from 30 to 2000 images in size. As these collections are grouped according to theme, creator, or collection, this approach should make the content easier to identify for use in Wikipedia articles and more visible during searching and browsing on Commons itself.
The first files to be uploaded were images from the construction of the Forth Bridge (40 images) and images of the Tay Bridge collapse (90 images). These small batches allowed any glitches to be identified and fixed relatively easily. For example, some images of the Tay Bridge disaster had duplicate filenames that had gone undetected in the XML ​files, meaning that they were uploaded as different versions of one file rather than as the separate files that they should have been. This was fixed by adjusting the metadata, and alerted us to the problem of generalised/duplicate filenames.
Procedure – GWToolset Uploads
The procedure was developed to upload digital content from the Library’s Digital Object Database (DOD) to Wikimedia Commons using the GWToolset which is still under development. Because the toolset is in Beta and the documentation surrounding registration and use of the toolset is still scattered, the procedure will be outlined in some detail here.
First, access was requested to the GW Toolset on the Wikimedia Commons Beta Cluster by writing to the Glamtools Mailing List (glamtools@lists.wikimedia.org). This allowed me to test uploads on the Beta site (where 'breaking' anything was less of an issue) before going live. Before testing, I identified metadata fields required for the various MediaWiki templates (using Template:Photograph and Template:Artwork for the first batches), and created a .json metadata mapping page to map NLS .xml metadata fields to the templates. This can also be done manually during the mapping process and then saved for future reuse. The only metadata fields created specifically for the Wikimedia Commons uploads were "Wiki_Permissions", in which the necessary license templates would be listed for that batch, and "gwtoolset-url-to-the-media-file", which listed the link to the image to be uploaded. Some unnecessary metadata fields, such as notes for NLS cataloguers, were scrubbed from the xml files for upload.
I test uploaded images from NLS collections on the Beta cluster approximately 3-4 times before attempting a live upload. In part this was to avoid any errors in the live upload process, but it also allowed me to experiment with the different resolutions available for upload, building a case to release images as large as 2500px .jpgs. Once the release of 2500px images was confirmed and the process was determined to be relatively error-free, I requested access to the live version of the GWToolset, once again done through the Glamtools mailing list, and began uploading the images to Wikimedia Commons itself.
Before uploading content, I created categories that would make it easier to find and network the images in Commons—in addition to creating a category for images uploaded as part of the collaboration between WMUK and the NLS, I also created categories for the collection being uploaded (i.e. Category:Weir Collection) or related to the content itself (i.e. Category:Construction of the Forth Bridge) and nested those categories where appropriate. All content was also uploaded to Category:Images from National Library of Scotland.
Incorporation and dissemination
The short timespan between the uploading of NLS content to Wikimedia Commons and the release of the 12 month report means that metrics pertaining to the incorporation and dissemination of the material throughout Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects is still unknown. Steps to track the usage of the files in the future include the following:
* Track any increase in image use across Wikimedia projects via the BaGLAMa2 tool. The category 'Images from National Library of Scotland' has already been added for this purpose
* Track the rate of traffic directed to the NLS’s Digital Gallery from Wikipedia sites and Wikimedia Commons using Google Analytics
* Track the number of monthly views for articles on English language Wikipedia included in the category 'National Library of Scotland' using the Treeviews tool
* Assess and improve the categorisation of content relating to the National Library of Scotland both on English language Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons where appropriate to facilitate previously mentioned methods
Information on the metrics relating to uploaded content will be made available on an ongoing basis throughout the continuation of the residency on the National Library of Scotland’s GLAM project page.
APPENDIX 1
Job details
National Library of Scotland and Wikimedia UK are delighted to announce their collaboration to support and host a Wikimedian in Residence at the Library. This is a unique opportunity to help enrich Wikipedia and its sister projects and share with the world the resources and knowledge from the Library’s collections, and to engage with librarians, members of the public and researchers to encourage contributions to the development of Wikipedia articles.
We are seeking applications for a Wikimedian in Residence from outgoing and committed individuals with excellent presentation and organising skills to work at National Library of Scotland for a period of 4 months.
The following range of knowledge, skills and experience are required. Please ensure these are reflected in your application. Short listing for interview will be based on meeting these requirements.
* have the ability to teach and support those learning to use Wikipedia and its sister websites, including organising events and workshops
* good verbal and written communication skills
* communicate in English clearly to a wide variety of audiences and have excellent presentation skills
* have an understanding of and empathy for Wikimedia UK's mission to help people and organisations build and preserve open knowledge to share and use freely
* ideally be an experienced Wikimedian
* have experience of organising meetings and experience of coordinating and leading workshops or similar
* be familiar with office IT packages
* be familiar with libraries or the cultural heritage sector be flexible and adaptable
* commit to the hours required for the duration of the Residency
What you will do
Help the Library explore how its collections and knowledge can be used to broaden content on Wikipedia and sister projects. You will also undertake outreach work to encourage understanding and development of Wikimedia projects.
* work with staff, including librarians and curators, to identify areas of Wikipedia and sister projects that could be enriched with resources and knowledge from the Library’s collections
* organise and host workshops for Library staff to explain how they can directly contribute their knowledge and expertise to develop Wikipedia articles
* explore adding digital resources such as our digitised books, articles, photographs and posters to Wikimedia Commons
* provide training and best-practice guidance on Wikimedia editing and Wikimedia volunteer engagement
* help the Library develop an outreach policy to coordinate contributions from the wider Scottish community to develop Wikipedia in under-represented areas
* help establish relationships with the Scottish Wikimedia community, editors and projects
* help organise and host other Wikimedia related events for members of the public, Wikimedians, researchers and librarians such as workshops, Edit-a-thons, meetups, backstage pass tours ​
* produce on-going updates and a summary report on the outcomes of the residency
Who will I work with?
You will work with a small team who will support you in your Residency and program of work. You will also work with colleagues in the Library including librarians and curators. You may work with people in other libraries and cultural organisations and Wikimedia UK.
Where will I work?
You will be based at National Library of Scotland in central Edinburgh. There may be flexibility to allow you to work from home on occasion. You may be expected to travel to meetings or to host events in other parts of Scotland.
APPENDIX 2
Contact list
Redacted list of contact details below; full contact list added to Wikimedia UK internal contacts list. For questions regarding the National Library of Scotland residency or the Wikimedian in Residence programme in general, please contact Daria Cybulska, Programme Manager at Wikimedia UK, at daria.cybulska@wikimedia.org.uk
| Organisation | | Name | Contact title |
| BCS Women, Edinburgh Chapter | S. | Moore | Organiser |
| Catalouing and Indexing Groups, Scotland (CIGS) - CILIPS | P. | Cunnea | Secretary (Joint) (Digital Assets Manager,NLS) |
| Central Library, Aberdeen | F. | Clark | Library & Information Services Manager |
| Central Library, Edinburgh | F. | Myles | Library Development Officer |
| Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow | C. | Skinner | Project Coordinator and Research Assistant, 'The Glasgow Miracle' |
| Centre for Education, Technology and Interoperability Standards (Cetis) | L. | Campbell | Assistant Director |
| CILIP Scotland | A. | Leslie | Events Manager for CILIPS East Branch |
| Communications, Media and Culture, University of Stirling | G. | Singh | Lecturer in Media and Communications |
| Digital HSS, University of Edinburgh | S. | Bayne | Associate Dean, Digital Scholarship |
| DJCAD, University of Dundee | S. | Cook | Reader/Fellow |
| Edina | N. | Osborne | Social Media Officer |
| Edinburgh City Libraries | G. | Crawford | Income Solution Manager, Library & Information Services |
| Glasgow Life | M. | Aitken | Development Advisor, Altogether Glasgow |
| Glasgow Life | A. | Callaghan | Assistant Curator, Kelvin Hall |
| Glasgow Life | S. | Khaliq | Assistant Curator, Kelvin Hall |
| Glasgow Museums | J. | Ferry | Digital & New Media Manager |
| Glasgow School of Art Library | D. | Dallison | SCONUL Graduate Trainee Librarian |
| Glasgow Women's Library | L. | Dolan | Lifelong Learning Assistant ​ |
| Glasgow Women's Library | A. | Patrick | Lifelong Learning & Creative Development Manager |
| Glasgow Women's Library | A. | Marsh | Volunteer |
| Grampian Information | A. | Davies | Executive Support Officer |
| Humanities Advanced Technology and Information Institute, Glasgow | L. | Molloy | HATII Curation and Preservation Officer |
| Jisc RSC Scotland | P. | Robertson | Advisor: Learning Resources |
| Jisc RSC Scotland | C. | McLaughlin | Advisor: Staff Development |
| Jisc RSC Scotland | G. | Hamilton | Advisor: e-Assessment |
| John Gray Centre | D. | Anderson | Heritage Resource Development Officer |
| Library and University Collections,University of Edinburgh | G. | Willshaw | Digital Curator |
| Multimedia Information and Technology Group (MmITS) - CILIP | L. | Morrison | Member |
| Museums Galleries Scotland | K. | Forbes | Digital Engagement & Communications Manager |
| National Records of Scotland | A. | Slater | Head of Public Services |
| Open Knowledge Foundation Scotland | E. | Klein | Scotland Ambassador |
| Open Rights Group, Edinburgh | J. | Killock | Executive Director |
| Scottish Poetry Library | J. | Johnstone | Librarian |
| Special Libraries Association, Europe | J. | Coll | Board Member (Head of Access, NLS) |
| Surrey History Centre | P. | Cooper | Exploring Surrey's Past Officer |
| The Mitchell Library | K. | McCormick | Librarian, General Services |
* ↑ The policy initially referred to 'low-resolution' and 'high-resolution' content; however, what was meant by 'low-resolution content' or 'high-resolution content' was deliberately left undefined. This not only allowed for freedom to respond to content specific variations (between media file types, for example), but also allowed for more freedom with respects to the sizes of files to be released; as the procedure implementing the policy developed, 'low-res' and 'high-res' were replaced with 'access quality' and 'original' or 'master quality'.
* ↑ The policy initially referred to 'low-resolution' and 'high-resolution' content; however, what was meant by 'low-resolution content' or 'high-resolution content' was deliberately left undefined. This not only allowed for freedom to respond to content-specific variations (between media file types, for example), but also allowed for more freedom with respects to the sizes of files to be released; as the procedure implementing the policy developed, 'low-res' and 'high res' were replaced with 'access quality' and 'original' or 'master quality'.