Cultural partnerships

Cultural partnerships
Content partnerships — Digital image restorations — Joint events

Cultural partnerships are co-operations between the Wikimedia movement and cultural institutions, such as galleries, libraries, archives and museums, known collectively as GLAMs. There are a wide range of possible projects − from content donations to edit-a-thon events (where Wikipedians and experts work together to improve the projects' coverage of a certain topic), and more.

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  An entertainment in Vauxhall Gardens in c.1779 by Thomas Rowlandson. Digitally restored by Wikimedia volunteers.

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  Scanning a QRpedia code in Birmingham Moor Street Railway Station (QRpedia enables visitors to access information in many more languages

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  An Editathon in Birmingham. Editathons bring together experts, reference material and Wikipedians to improve Wikipedia

Why work with Wikimedia?

Working with Wikipedia can enable you to:

• Present your collections to new audiences
• Increase worldwide engagement with the cultural heritage held by your institution
• Work with a global community of volunteers to share your content online, via the Wikimedia projects

How to work successfully with Wikipedia

Who is working with us?

Cultural institutions we have worked with include:

• The British Library
• The British Museum
• Derby Museum and Art Gallery
• The National Maritime Museum
• The National Archives
• Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Coventry
• Natural History Museum
• Royal Society of Chemistry
• Science Museum
• National Library of Scotland
• National Library of Wales
• Museums Galleries Scotland / Glasgow Museums
• The Bodleian Libraries, Oxford

Wikimedia UK's work with the GLAM sector complements its work with learned societies.

If you represent a cultural institution, and are interested in working with Wikimedia UK, please contact our office on +44 (0)20 7065 0990 or glamwikimedia.org.uk.

Wikimedians in Residence

WIR Programme Review as a PDF

A Wikimedian in Residence is a Wikipedia editor who works in an institution to facilitate a close working relationship between the Wikimedia movement and that institution through a range of activities, including:

• Organising outreach work to encourage understanding and development of Wikimedia projects internally and externally
• Exploring anr sharing the institution's digital resources on Wikimedia Commons
• Organising events to create or expand existing articles about notable items or subjects of specific relevance to the collection and the organisation's expertise
• Working with the institution's staff to explain Wikipedia's and its sister projects' practices and how they might be able to contribute. This can be done via events, workshops, producing case studies and documentation of content.
• Helping other Wikimedians to expand and write articles about the institution's collections or area of expertise
• Developing other projects supporting open knowledge in the UK

An overview and background of our Wikimedians in Residence programme is given in the programme review published in 2014.

Current Wikimedians in Residence

Jason Evans; WiR at the National Library of Wales

The links below include more about current residencies arranged by partnerships including WMUK - including contact details.

• York Museums Trust – 6 months part-time October 2013-April 2014 - case study report here. Extended for a second phase of the project in cooperation with Museums Development Yorkshire, July 2014 - July 2015, part time.
• Royal Society of Chemistry - 12 months part time, until Sept 2015. Blog post
• Museums Galleries Scotland - Part time, 12 months, January 12 2015-16. Four month secondment report here.
• National Library of Wales - Full time, 12 months, January 19 2015-16. Blog post announcing. WMUK project page
• Bodleian Libraries - part time (0.5 FTE), April 2015-March 2016.

There are plans for further residencies; if you have any queries please contact the office on 0207 065 0990, or glamwikimedia.org.uk.

Some of the Wikimedians in Residence from around the world at GLAMcamp London in 2012

Past Wikimedians in Residence

Previous residences arranged by partnerships including WMUK include:

• ARKive project, improving Wikipedia's articles on threatened species, in the Summer of 2011
• The University of Bristol Wikimedia Ambassador − 2 months in the Summer of 2011
• Our ongoing collaboration with the British Library included a Wikimedian in Residence for a year in 2012 and 2013. Project page on Wikipedia | Andrew Gray's final report | Section in programme review
• WIR at Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums − 3 months part time in 2013. On our Announcement | Project page | Section in programme review
• WIR at the Natural History Museum and Science Museum − 8 months in 2013 and 2014. Announcement | Project page on Wikipedia | Section in programme review | final case study
• Jisc Wikimedia Ambassador − 10 months in 2013 and 2014. Announcement | Project pages on Wikimedia UK | Project blog including final report | Section in programme review
• The Royal Society – 6 months part-time, January−July 2014. WMUK blog | Case study
• Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol – 6 months full-time, from March 2014 to September 2014. | Case study
• Cancer Research UK - 9 months part time (4/5), until February 2015. WMUK blog. Impact report (Wellcome Trust form filled in), also a wiki based report, adapted here.
• National Library of Scotland − Part time, started July 2013, being extended on a rolling basis, currently till mid 2015. On our blog | Section in programme review | Case study report after the first 12 months

All residencies, including those in which WMUK was not involved, are listed at outreach:Wikipedian in Residence.

Further reading

• An example of the agreement signed by WMUK and GLAMs when arranging a Wikimedia in Residence post
• A suggested job description for a Wikipedian in Residence