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;Notes from the editathon at Conway Hall, London
;Spreading free knowledge on university campuses across the UK


[[File:Hypatia_Bradlaugh_Bonner_1.jpg|220px|thumb|right|A photograph of Hypatia Bradlaugh Bonner which was found in the Conway Hall archives and scanned and uploaded during the editathon]]
[[File:Cambridge fresher's fair Wikipedia stall 2012 - 3.jpg|220px|thumb|right|Cambridge University Wikipedia Society]]


''This post was written by Jonathan Cardy, Wikimedia UK's GLAM Organiser''
This summer Wikimedia UK embarked on a systematic campaign to raise awareness of the assistance the charity can offer to university students towards the creation of new student societies associated with Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects.


We’ve run a few editathons now and we know some of the things to expect, and some of the things that can go wrong.
With support from Wikimedia UK, Wikipedia student societies have already been established at Imperial College London and Cambridge University. We are keen to see this sort of activity develop on other campuses across the UK.


[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Atheism/Conway_Hall_editathon Conway Hall on Thursday, 8 August] was a bit of an experiment for us, our first evening editathon, and with at least half an eye on London commuters. It was also the first time I came to an editathon armed with a mobile WiFi hotspot or a universal laptop charger.
We’re in the process of discussing the possibility of new Wikipedia students’ societies developing at a number of universities in Cardiff, Dundee, Manchester, Hull/Scarborough, Swansea and London.


Our hosts supplied us with a lovely large room and had very good WiFi. Thus far how very like the [http://blog.wikimedia.org.uk/2013/06/royal-opera-house-to-host-an-editathon/ Royal Opera House] (minus the liveried footmen), though the decor was somewhat less sumptuous and here I was host, IT support and catering. I just had time to reorganise all the tables and chairs from boardroom to cafe style, with a table over each electricity point, before the rush started.
Although student unions have been very accommodating during these initial discussions, it’s up to students at individual universities to set up societies. Wikimedia UK will offer all the assistance possible through staff and volunteers from the charity’s community. Initially this could involve a stand or stall at the upcoming freshers’ fairs, but it can and should go beyond that. We therefore seek volunteers from the Wikimedia UK community to help out with getting the word out to university students in their area and/or assisting with stands at freshers’ fairs.


Conway Hall’s archivist had put out a collection of reference books, biographies and so forth, many looking venerable and probably long out of print. Of course that meant a no tea and coffee rule on any of the desks where the old books were being used. Luckily, the adjacent kitchen served as a break room.
Ultimately, the charity seeks to support new students’ societies with the aims of attracting new members and distributing information about Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects beyond freshers’ week. September, when many universities start, coincides with Wiki Loves Monuments, while other events such as Black History Month in October offer opportunities for sustained engagement and learning.


As usual, we’d brought one more laptop than we had bookings for, but on this occasion we could have used more – I should perhaps have guessed that Conway Hall’s predominately elderly membership might include several people who’d popped in, curious to see what it was all about. I could have used four spare laptops.
<span class="plainlinks">[http://blog.wikimedia.org.uk/2013/09/spreading-free-knowledge-on-university-campuses-across-the-uk/ <nowiki></nowiki>Continues...<nowiki></nowiki>]</span>
 
This was far from the first time someone had forgotten their power cable, but it was the first time I could approach them with a handful of power adaptors saying “great, I’ve been hoping to try this out, lets see which head fits” and set them up with a universal power supply. We should have one as standard for this sort of event.
 
<span class="plainlinks">[http://blog.wikimedia.org.uk/2013/08/notes-from-the-editathon-at-conway-hall-london/ <nowiki></nowiki>Continues<nowiki></nowiki>]</span>


|events=<!--Aim to have between 8 and 10 events listed to avoid this section taking up too much or to little space-->
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Revision as of 10:57, 4 September 2013

Cymraeg | English

Cymraeg | English

Wikimedia UK

Open knowledge for all

Wikimedia UK is hiring – We are now accepting applications for a Membership, Fundraising and Operations Assistant

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If you'd like to see what Wikimedia UK is working on, our website is the best place for our community of volunteers, donors and members to stay up to date.

About Wikimedia UK

The Wikimedia projects are special: they are written and curated by thousands of volunteers. They are also supported by voluntary donations, through Wikimedia UK, the Wikimedia Foundation and other international chapters.

Wikimedia UK is a charity registered in England and Wales that supports and promotes Wikipedia and the other Wikimedia projects such as Wikimedia Commons. Our mission is to help people and organisations create and preserve open knowledge, and to help provide easy access for all. We do this by supporting volunteer editors and contributors ('Wikimedians'), by working in partnership with cultural and educational institutions, by hosting training sessions and editing events, and by acting to advocate the benefits of open knowledge generally.

There are several ways to get involved in the charity's work. You can become a member for just £5 per year. You can volunteer to work with us in a variety of ways, both online and offline. You can also make a donation (and if you're a UK taxpayer, we can claim Gift Aid). Subscribe to our Friends' Newsletter to stay in touch. Click the buttons below to learn more.

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We organise dozens of events each year, including meetups, editing events, "Backstage Pass" events at museums, workshops and conferences.

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Для української мови Вікіпедії ласка, відвідайте http://uk.wikipedia.org; для Вікімедіа Україна відвідайте http://ua.wikimedia.org
For the Ukrainian language Wikipedia please visit http://uk.wikipedia.org; for Wikimedia Ukraine please visit http://ua.wikimedia.org

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