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Portal for Wikimedians

GLAM professionals and their institutions are encouraged to contribute to Wikipedia and its sister projects. Since it's not always easy to know how to contribute correctly, this page provides a centralised place to find relevant advice and to seek specific assistance. For more details, check out model projects and case studies. Frequently Asked Questions Why should I contribute to Wikipedia? Every cultural institution has an abundance of resources to share. A partnership with Wikimedia is a low cost, high-impact way to disseminate your resources to a global audience. How should I contribute? Wikipedia - Contributions can include article creation or expansion, reference correction and expansion, and institutional research/text donations. Wikimedia Commons - Contributions can include images, video, and other media as well as descriptions and metadata for already-existing files in the repository. Wikisource - As a collection of free and open content texts of original sources, appropriate contributions include out-of-copyright books and documents. For more information see the more detailed FAQs below. For more ways to contribute, see model projects and Case studies. Questions related to Wikipedia contributions Why should a cultural institution donate/partner with Wikimedia? Here are a few reasons: It fits in closely with the core mission of the cultural institution of preserving heritage and history. It step jumps the GLAM institution’s reach by increasing potential audiences. Footfalls to the GLAM institution are likely to increase through greater awareness of the institute’s collection and knowledge. It will provide a well-tested platform for the digitisation efforts of the GLAM institution. Staff will find it satisfying given its global reach and impact. There is a strong likelihood of higher public relations coverage of the GLAM institute because of the Wikipedia’s goodwill. We are a not for profit organisation, (when talking to most GLAMs you can say We are a fellow not for profit organisation). Information about our institution, or of the objects held by it, is incorrect or incomplete. How can I fix it? In order to avoid issues with conflict of interest, we suggest leaving a note on the article's talk page or contacting the GLAM community in order to make any substantial changes. If it is a basic factual error, create a username, press [Edit] and correct or complete the text. Always add references so others can verify where the information came from. You can use the GLAM Beginner's Guide to get started. Please see more detailed FAQs on the GLAM Conflict of Interest Guide. What types of collections objects should have their own articles? Objects that have been published in an exhibition catalogue, a scholarly book, or a journal article would normally be considered appropriate subjects for articles on Wikipedia. Try to include references to more than one source; please see the general notability criteria. If an object does not have a source other than the standard catalogues of your institution, the object may not be sufficiently notable to warrant a separate article. Please see more detailed FAQs on Notability on the GLAM Notability Guide. What types of sources does Wikipedia require? Please see more detailed FAQs on sources and expert contributions on the GLAM Contributions Guide. How can we avoid conflicts of interest in our contributions? Your contributions should be aimed at improving Wikipedia independently of your professional affiliation. Do not add material to an article which promotes your institution but which does not help a reader of Wikipedia better understand the topic. In order to avoid conflict of interest, edit as yourself, not as your institution. Register a username and write a message on your user page describing your position, institution, and area of expertise. Please see more detailed FAQs on the GLAM Conflict of Interest Guide. Should I add links to our institution's resources in articles? Yes, you may contribute external links to your institution's content, but they should link directly to the relevant information and it should be unique information. Avoid creating many links to your institution's website in quick succession, as this could be seen as spamming. Please see more detailed FAQs on linking on the GLAM External Links Guide. What do I need to know before uploading new images? Please see the more detailed FAQ on the GLAM Commons FAQ. Each image uploaded to Wikimedia Commons has to have proper: Metadata - Wikimedia Commons uses templates to format file metadata. There are three main styles of metadata templates: Information template - smallest and most often used template. Appropriate for photographs with little metadata. Artwork template - appropriate for artworks and artifacts. Book template - appropriate for scans of books. License - with most artworks you need to verify two types of copyrights: Copyrights of the original author. Most common cases: Author died more than 70 years ago - use PD-old-70 license Work was first published in US before 1923 - use PD-1923 license Work is displayed outdoors in a country which has Freedom of Panorama laws, see here for more information. Original author of the artwork released it under open license. This has to be verified by email or information on the web Other - as there are many countries each with different copyright laws many other license tags might apply Copyrights of the photographer who took photograph of the artwork. Possible cases: (need links) Image is a scan of an artwork - use PD-scan license Photograph is a faithful copy of painting or other 2D image - use PD-Art license Photographer or institution holding copyrights to the images, released them under open license. In case the individual uploading the file is not the copyright holder, this will have to be verified by email or information on the web. How should I upload new images? Different approaches can be used depending on the quantity of images: For a handful of images, use the UploadWizard. This tool only supports the Information template, so in case of artworks the description should be edited to the Artwork template after the file is uploaded. For a large volume of images, special programs called bots are used for batch uploading. You can request batch upload here. Should I add links to our institution's resources in file descriptions? Yes, and there are two standard ways to do this: Create an institution template for your institution, which will contain basic information such as name, location, and links to the institution's Wikipedia article and the external institution website. Add to this page all images of objects held by your institution. This template should be placed in the "institution" field of the Artwork template. If your institution's website has pages related to individual objects, you can add links to those pages in the "Accession number" or "Notes" field of the Artwork template. Images related to our institution are missing or are of very low quality. How can I fix it? There are many ways that can be resolved: You can search for better image among files already collected and add it to the article. Steps to find other related images: Look at the and of the articles for box saying "Wikimedia Commons has media related to ..." and click on link Click on images already in the article. Most file description will start with "This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons. Information from its description page there is shown below." Click through to the file's page on Commons and check the bottom of the page for a listing of that image's categories - click on the one related to your institution for more related images. Search for a category already relating to your institution in Commons through the Wikimedia Commons main page or Commons search. You can upload new image to Wikimedia Commons and add it to the article. Resources Wikimedia Commons:First steps English Wikipedia Help:Contents/Images and media