Herbert Backstage Pass
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Content partnerships — Digital image restorations — Joint events |
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What is it?
A Backstage Pass tour is an event aimed at sharing the expertise of real-world cultural institutions with our wiki-expertise. Principally this involves an organisation or interest group hosting a private tour for the benefit of local Wikimedians and in reciprocation we help improve the content on Wikipedia that is relevant to that organisation.
Simply put the day is in three parts:
- Private guided tour of 'backstage' areas of the museum with the experts.
- Lunch together (sponsored by Wikimedia UK)
- Sitting down with the curators individually/small groups to collaborate on topics discussed during the tour.
This event is being organised in collaboration with Wikimedia UK. The main contact person for this activity is Roger Bamkin (Victuallers). The work to improve Wikipedia's content related to the Herbert's collections and archives will continue long after this day's event. See the project page for full information about what needs doing and what's been achieved so far.
When/where is it?
Saturday, October 1st, 2011 at the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Coventry.
The museum is located at Jordan Well, CV1 5QP.
Coffee from 10:00 in Learning Space 2. The event will be signposted, but staff at Reception will be on hand to offer assistance. Please bring your laptop.
The museum is located in Coventry city centre, about 15 minutes' walk from Coventry rail station. There is no parking available at the museum, but there are a number of pay and display car parks nearby. Blue Badge holders may park on Bayley Lane opposite the entrance to the Herbert.
Coventry City Council have produced a city centre map which details car parks, Park and Ride bus stops, the rail station and the bus station: City Centre Map. The Herbert is located in the Cathedral Quarter at the corner of Bayley Lane and Jordan Well. See also the Museum's getting here instructions for directions.
Advantages for the Museum
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Advantages for Wikimedia
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The Herbert Art Gallery and Museum have been bold enough to get involved with this project. They are keen to integrate their collections with communities, both online and in real life. Working with Wikimedia is an appropriate way of doing this. The museum will be bringing out some usually hidden artefacts and showing Wikipedians "their backstage areas".
What
A brief introduction to the GLAM project (and the collaboration at The Herbert) and what it is and what has been achieved elsewhere and here so far. Some speed dating with artefacts. We'll then have lunch and they will give us access to a internet-enabled meeting room where we can all work on-wiki after the tours.
Schedule
The schedule will be announced very soon.
The day will include store tours, a visit to the medieval undercroft and an introduction to the History Centre and archive collections. There will also be time to visit the galleries.
Who (Wikimedians)
First come, first served! In the event that there is an oversubscription, early contributors and members of Wikimedia UK will be given preference. Please bring your laptop and we'll hang out during the second part of the day to collaborate.
The curators will "pitch" objects that are their personal favourites and we can work with them to start articles – following assessment of "notability"
Other types of content that could be improved:
- Creating new articles or improving existing articles about specific artefacts in the museum's collection.
- Using photographs and information about museum objects and archives to improve related topics.
- Suggesting text that the Herbert owns which could be incorporated into Wikipedia subject to appropriate copyright licensing.
- The museum's own article
Sign Up
If you don't sign up we won't know you're coming! Please make sure that we can contact you if needs be - enable "email user" in your user settings if you are logged in.
If you do not want to list your name publicly, please contact Roger Bamkin (Victuallers) at roger.bamkin
wikimedia.org.uk
Attending:
- Chase me ladies, I'm the Cavalry 16:58, 5 August 2011 (UTC)
- Mike Peel 19:50, 5 August 2011 (UTC)
Interested in attending but not confirmed:
Parking
The museum is located in Coventry city centre, about 15 minutes' walk from Coventry rail station. There is no parking available at the museum, but there are a number of pay and display car parks nearby. Blue Badge holders may park on Bayley Lane opposite the entrance to the Herbert.
Coventry City Council has produced a city centre map which details car parks, Park and Ride bus stops, the rail station and the bus station: City Centre Map. The Herbert is located in the Cathedral Quarter at the corner of Bayley Lane and Jordan Well. See also the Museum's getting here instructions for directions.
Any Questions? Add your own.
- Do I have to register to attend, or can I just arrive on the day?
- You do not have to register, but preference will be given to those who do by signing up on this page.
- Is there a minimum number of Wikipedia edits I have to have made to be allowed to attend?
- Of course not. All are welcome - even if you've never edited Wikipedia before. Being "a Wikipedian" is a self-defined thing, so if you call yourself a Wikipedian (or would like to become one) then come along.
- Do I have to be a member of Wikimedia UK?
- No, this is open to all. However if you would like to join Wikimedia UK and get involved in other projects like this or start your own, you can do so here
- If I come and take the tour, will I be obliged to make Wikipedia contributions about Herbert Art Gallery and Museum topics?
- No. As volunteers, there is no obligation to do anything. Of course, it is encouraged for you to stay after the tours to share your wiki-expertise with the interested curators (that's the quid pro quo of this free event after all) but you are under no obligation to do so. Equally, it is hoped that you'll be inspired to write about some of the things/ideas you've seen for Wikipedia and maybe collaborate with the curators doing so, but you don't have to.
- Can I bring my camera?
- Yes
- What about lunch?
- A free lunch will be provided in the museum.
- How much wiki-expertise/knowledge of Wikimedia policies and procedures will participants be expected to possess?
- None - in fact we are also inviting keen amateur historians in order that we can encourage a new relationship between local historians, museums and Wikipedia.
- Do you have to own/bring a laptop?
- It will certainly help if you are intending to assist in the second half of the event - there will probably be one or two computers for our use, but internet will be available to laptops.
- It is not stated how many places there are. Will we receive invitations individually after the attendees are chosen?
- No, the museum will place a cap on the number of attendees and that means places have been limited.
- There will be no other official invitation other than the information at this page. You can assume that if this page has not been deleted then just turn up on the day.
- Are there age requirements to attend this event?
- There is no minimum (or maximum) age limit - as long as you're interested and have permission from the relevant parent.
Past example
Backstage Pass at Derby Museums - Derby Backstage Pass.