Wikipedian in Residence

A diagram of a typical relationships developed by a Wikipedian in Residence

Wikipedians (or Wikimedians) in Residence are Wikimedians who dedicate time to working in-house at an organization. Wikipedians in Residence are usually financially compensated by the institution or by a Wikimedia chapter, but they may also be volunteers. The Wikipedian in Residence is not simply an in-house editor: the role is fundamentally about enabling the host organisation and its members to continue a productive relationship with the encyclopedia and its community after the Residency is finished. The Wikipedian in Residence model was first piloted by the GLAM initiative, but has since been adopted by other types of organizations.

Are you considering if a residency is right for your institution? Check out the case studies or read on.

Core characteristics of a Wikipedian in Residence

• Serves as a liaison between the organization and the Wikimedia community to promote a mutually beneficial cooperation.
• Promotes understanding of Wikimedia among staff at the organization through workshops and events.
• Works with organizational staff to digitize, compile, and organize resources that can be shared with the Wikipedia community.
• Facilitates the improvement of content by the Wikipedia community, rather than directly editing articles as a core goal.
• Coordinates events, such as Hack-a-Thons, Edit-a-Thons, or Backstage Passes, that bring Wikipedians on-site to work with staff on content creation and improvement.
• Formally coordinated by the institution, allowing the resident to work closely with staff for various projects.
• Ultimately, a residency lays the foundation for a more lasting partnership between the Wikipedia community and an organization.

Types of projects carried out by residencies

Activities organized by Wikipedians in Residence are broad and varied. Some of these projects include:

• Facilitating content improvement in partnership with curators and the Wikipedia communities
• Coordinating image or multimedia donations
• Organizing visits/events (e.g. "backstage passes" for Wikipedians)
• Organizing challenges and competitions that promote article improvement
• Teaching about Wikipedia practices and values, etc.
• Including sister projects (Wikimedia Commons, Wikisource, Wikivoyage, etc)

How to create a residence position

Wikimedians in Residence come in many shapes and forms, and different communities and partners in the Wikimedia movement choose to implement them in many different ways. For full documentation on "how to" create Wikimedian in Residence positions in the Movement. The Wikimedia Foundation has documented common practices at Creating a Wikimedian in Residence Position.

Successful formats

Infographic with compiled data from July 2011.

Time allocation

• Fulltime for a very short period (e.g. British Museum project, 5 weeks)
• Fulltime for a longer period (e.g. Chateau de Versailles project, 6 months. University of Edinburgh project, 18 months)
• Part time for a long period (e.g. Children's Museum of Indianapolis project, 1 year)
• Part time permanently (e.g. Bundesdenkmalamt - Scanproject, Vienna, minimum 3-4 years)

Rewards

• Wholly unpaid (e.g. British Museum project, Bundesdenkmalamt)
• Study credit (e.g. The Children's Museum of Indianapolis project, first 3 months)
• Stipend/scholarship (e.g. Chateau de Versailles)
• Paid internship (e.g. Early NARA projects)
• Contract employee (e.g. The Children's Museum of Indianapolis project, year 2)

• Full time employee (e.g. National Archive Full time Wikipedian in Residence, University of Edinburgh Wikimedian in Residence)

Recruitment method

• Published job offer through official recruitment process (e.g. NARA) [could add Chapter rep. to interview panel if necessary].
• Outsource recruitment to local Wikimedia Chapter (e.g. Versailles project)
• Informal recruitment through existing social media connection (e.g. Indianapolis Museum of Art)
• Identify existing Wikipedia community leader in relevant field (e.g. Israeli Museum)
• Self-initiated contact from a Wikimedian/pedian to the institution (e.g. British Museum, Bundesdenkmalamt)

List of Wikipedians in Residence

See meta:Wikimedian in residence

Reporting

• Also write a report of your activities as Wikipedian in Residence in the This Month in GLAM newsletter, start writing here

Details on specific residencies

• British Museum: Presentation | Blogposts 1 2 3 4
• The Children's Museum of Indianapolis: case studies
• New Art Gallery Walsall: Museum Association case study

Information on other wikis

Wikipedians in Residence are covered on a number of wikis, including:

• Meta-Wiki category, which contains some information about specific residencies, and also a record of grants from the Wikimedia Foundation that have helped fund specific residencies.
• Wikimedia Commons category, which contains photos, information graphics, PDF presentations, and other media resources.
• English Wikipedia's encyclopedia article about WiRs; these exist in several other languages as well (see WikiData link below).
• English Wikipedia's GLAM-focused page about Wikipedians in Residence
• English Wikipedia's conflict-of-interest policy section on Wikipedians in Residence
• This Outreach Wiki's category of pages related to WiRs.
• The Wikidata entry for Wikipedians in Residence may contain additional links.
• The This Month in GLAM newsletter includes regular updates on many residencies.

Further information

• Wikipedia in the Museum: Lessons from Wikipedians in Residence Virtual Session, American Association of Museums, April 2012
• Wikipedians in Residence: Two Years of Open Culture, Open Knowledge Foundation blog, Lori Phillips.
• How Does a Wikipedian in Residence survive?, The GLAM-Wiki Experience, Àlex Hinojo.
• In-Residence Around the World, Wikimedia blog, Liam Wyatt.
• GLAM information Scoop.it, compilation of blogs & press regarding residencies and GLAM initiatives in general
• Wikipedian in Residence article at Wikipedia