GLAM/Newsletter/December 2024/Contents/New Zealand report
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Wikdata module, Auckland Museum student progress, and the Wikipedian at Large
Wikidata module for the Hidden Figures CURE
The Wikidata module Integrating Wikidata with Data Sleuthing Techniques for Enhanced Knowledge Discovery of Hidden Figures, co-authored by Ambrosia10 for the Hidden Figures Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE), has recently been published. This is the fourth and final module for this course, designed with the intention of teaching undergraduates to highlight the work of hidden figures in natural history collections such as women, people of colour, Indigenous peoples etc.
These Open Education resources, licensed under a Creative Commons attribution license, are now available on the QUBES website for university educators and others to reuse as they wish. For the Wikidata module see this link.
Other modules in this CURE are An Introduction to Revealing Hidden Figures through Data Sleuthing, The Importance of an ORCID and Introduction to Bionomia.
Wikipedia Students at Auckland Museum
Our Wikipedia Summer Students at Auckland Museum are well underway with their projects to provide local histories content to support teachers and students in the New Zealand histories curriculum. Auckland Museum Wikimedian in Residence, Winnieswikiworld has been documenting the student's progress as they learn from local and international Wikimedians and museum professionals.
Students had a chat with historian and education specialist Mark Sheehan. Mark shared insightful context about the shift in the Aotearoa New Zealand history curriculum and the importance of memory and personal perspectives when sharing history. He helped the students gain direction around their articles and what topics and approaches may be helpful.
UK based Wikimedian and curator Lucy Moore joined the students virtually, to share her contributions to the Women in Red movement and her experiences as Wikimedian in Residence working with various cultural institutions.
Students met with curator and historian Lucy Mackintosh and disscussed the importance of local histories, moving away from national and transnational histories. Our students were excited to share with Lucy that her book Shifting Grounds: History, Memory and Materiality in Auckland Landscapes c.1350–2018, was part of their Anthropology and History classes required reading!
As the students prepare to host their very own edit-a-thon in January, they were joined by curator and Wikipedian, Susan Tolich. Susan shared some valuable insight into organising and hosting an edit-a-thon.
The student edit-a-thon, Stub It Out: Developing Tāmaki's Wiki Stub Articles Wikipedia, will teach attendees how to edit Wikipedia articles with the theme of expanding stub articles related to Auckland content.
The pages created by students in December: Onehunga Blockhouse, O'Neill's Point Cemetery, Chris Winitana, Ōwairaka, Statue of a Cloaked Woman, Alberton, Auckland and Dingle Dell (St Heliers).
The students are enjoying a well deserved break for the holidays and will be back in January to continue contributing knowledge to Wikipedia and enriching Tāmaki Makaurau's local histories content!
Wikipedian at Large projects
Giantflightlessbirds was confirmed as the Aotearoa Wikipedian at Large for 2025, based in Ōtautahi Christchurch and operating on nearby Banks Peninsula from January to December. The Peninsula , in Māori Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū, is a notable geological feature and tourist destination close to Christchurch, but has quite poor Wikipedia coverage. The Wikipedian at Large's role, funded by a grant from Wikimedia Aotearoa New Zealand, will be to work with partner organisations such as museums, libraries, and community groups to release images and better-quality information to Commons, and encourage new editors to help improve articles through training and community events. Focus areas will be the Māori settlement of Rāpaki, forest remnants on the Peninsula, endemic species of plants and animals, the colonial history of the French settlement of Akaroa, and the reforestation project Hinewai Reserve. The project has had some press coverage already ("Wikipedians to shine a light on Banks Peninsula"), and half a dozen new editors have been recruited.
A second project taking place during January, February, and March is a collaboration with the District Council of nearby Ashburton, a rural service town with a population of 21,000. As well as improving Wikipedia coverage of the town and the nearby conservation park Ashburton Lakes, the Wikipedian will be working with Ashburton Art Gallery and Heritage Centre to release approximately 1,000 historic images into Commons, and develop a new copyright and open licensing policy for the institution that will make future such releases easier.
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- Memory of the World report
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