-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [Wikimediauk-l] Lum Hats in Paradise
From: Jon Davies <jon.davies(a)wikimedia.org.uk>
Date: Tue, May 22, 2012 2:25 pm
To: wikimediauk-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org
Cc: Ashley van Haeften <Fae(a)wikimedia.org.uk>
I remember Tam Dayell (I think it was him) had a little comic speech during
the Thatcher years asking people to imagine Libraries had not been
invented.
He then pretended he was pitching to the Minister for culture.
It went:
" I want to build some big new buildings
Really?
Yes , and allow anyone to visit them.
Really? What sort of people?
Everyone.
Why?
Well, I am going to fill them with books.
Ah - a sort of bookshop!
No - we will let people take the books without paying for them..."
It went on and on but you get the idea.
Well done the people of Edinburgh and I will cc this to Fae in case he has
not seen this string as he is so keen to get work in Scotland going.
Jon
On Tue, May 22, 2012 at 1:38 PM, <brian.mcneil(a)wikinewsie.org> wrote:
Jon,
The point is be nice, and respectful, to the library staff. I was having
to stop laughing when Fiona was telling me that "they know a good
Wikipedia article by the number of cited references". Without any input
from us they've figured out how to judge article quality - they are
people we want to recruit.
I've done 'stubs' on Leith Library[1], Stockbridge Library[2], and
McDonald Road Library[3].
[1]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leith_Library
[2]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockbridge_library
[3]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonald_Road_Library
The 7th of July is the 125th anniversary of Andrew Carnegie laying the
foundation stone for Edinburgh's Central Library. If there's anything we
can do to get them main page mentions (DYK?) then we'll have an entire
city's ibrary staff onside.
Unlike most of the UK, Edinburgh City Council left libraries in the
hands of the public. The response to surveys was that £300,000 was put
_back_ into the library budget. I think the city deserves recognised for
that, and it should be a priority to document their libraries. Once
we've done so there is a basis to do outreach to the non-natives (Hindi,
Arabic, etc speakers) and get translations. Considering how many kids do
homework in libraries we can also 'stomp on' plagiarism and educate a
really wide swathe of the public.
Brian McNeil
--
Wikinews, Accredited Reporter. Personal: brian.mcneil(a)o2.co.uk
"Facts don't cease to be facts, but news ceases to be news."
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [Wikimediauk-l] Lum Hats in Paradise
From: Jon Davies <jon.davies(a)wikimedia.org.uk>
Date: Tue, May 22, 2012 1:15 pm
To: wikimediauk-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org
I hope we will be jumping at your offer! Brilliant work,
On Tue, May 22, 2012 at 1:03 PM, <brian.mcneil(a)wikinewsie.org> wrote:
> Hola! From a non-Wikipedian Wikimedian - in Edinburgh - who is
delighted
> with the response from some tentative
outreach work.
>
> I spend around an hour this morning touring Edingburgh's Central
Library
> with Fiona Myles, took around 150 photos of
the interior of the
> building, and _hope_ I've laid the groundwork for us to work far more
> closely in future.
>
> I have, dependent on copyright, a verbal agreement to get high-res
scans
> of the plans of the building (A Carnegie
Library), a keen interest to
> have librarians briefed on Wikipedia - if not outright encouraged to
> contribute, and the possibility of running recruitment/induction
> sessions in Edinburgh. Which, for the unwashed masses, is a UNESCO City
> of Literature.
>
> Given the piss-poor representation up here in Scotland, I think that's
a
> major win. My next job, as interim
'cowboy liasion' between Wikimedia
UK
> and Museums Galleries Scotland is to get a
few councillors calling for
> all publicly funded publications to be under a CC-BY license.
>
> Any, and all, encouragement welcome. Any Englandshire Wikimedians wh
> plan to visit Edingburgh in the next 6-12 months, please feel free to
> drop me a mail. If I can get you meetings with people, or privileged
> access for photography, I will.
>
> Fun and frivolity aside, with limited Internet access I've come to the
> conclusion that public libraries are the way to recruit. Brief the
staff
> of what makes a good Wikipedia article -
half of them know already -
> then a simple static display may encourage locals to try their hand.
> Here in Edinburgh I suspect I can, without too many problems, get
> articles put into about a half-dozen languages with keen help from
> library staff.
>
> And this message's title? Purloined from a book on the city's
libraries.
Brian McNeil
--
Wikinews, Accredited Reporter. Personal: brian.mcneil(a)o2.co.uk
"Facts don't cease to be facts, but news ceases to be news."
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*Jon Davies - Chief Executive Wikimedia UK*. 07976 935 986
tweet @jonatreesdavies
Wikimedia UK is a Company Limited by Guarantee registered in England and
Wales, Registered No. 6741827. Registered Charity No.1144513
Registered Office 4th Floor, Development House, 56-64 Leonard Street,
London EC2A 4LT. United Kingdom.
Telephone (0044) 207 065 0990.
Wikimedia UK is the UK chapter of the Wikimedia Foundation (who operate
Wikipedia, amongst other projects). It is an independent non-profit
organization with no legal control over Wikipedia nor responsibility for
its contents.
Visit
and
@wikimediauk<hr>_______________________________________________
Wikimedia UK mailing list
wikimediauk-l(a)wikimedia.org