GLAM/Newsletter/November 2011/Contents/UK report
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Catchup from London
British Museum
The focus since the summer has been the Ice age art project, leading up to an exhibition planned for early 2013. In September and October there were two training sessions in WP editing for British Museum volunteers and researchers and curators, which unearthed several existing Wikipedians at the British Museum. In October there was a behind the Scenes event at Franks House, where the museum stores its prehistoric material. Jill Cook and Nick Ashton introduced Ice Age carvings mostly on bone and antler, and earlier stone tools respectively, and we're very grateful to them for giving so generously of their time. After lunch attendees returned to the main British Museum building at Bloomsbury, where Jill Cook talked on the material displayed in Room 2 and the Enlightenment Gallery. Pat Hadley (PatHadley), a Wikipedian archaeology postgrad from York, also talked on the material from Star Carr in Yorkshire; he is part of the team working on this very important site.
Over 100 photos have been uploaded to Commons, and progess on articles is detailed at the project page.
There is also a quieter long-term project to improve coverage of Bronze Age archaeology. I have been sent several PDFs of papers which I can forward by email etc on request; mostly they cover important British sites. They are listed at the project page. There hasn't been a lot of action here so far, so please contact me if you are interested.
British Library
In October two Wikimedia UK trustees, Roger Bamkin (Victuallers) and Fæ, addressed an enthusiatic audience of fifty British library staff on Wikipedia and the opportunities for collaboration. There are having internal discussions on their image policy.
We are planning a guided tour of the British Library exhibition on their Royal collection of manuscripts, with a session afterwards to discuss what we can add to the projects on this topic. Date will probably be in mid-January - watch out for an announcement.
John Byrne (Johnbod) is now working, with help from the library, on the article for the St Cuthbert or Stonyhurst Gospel, which the British Library has agreed to buy for £9 million. They are collecting funds from large donors now, and planning a more public phase of the appeal in the New Year.
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