Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Librarians training for open knowledge through wikimedia projects. (ID: 22451347)
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Applicant Details[edit]
- Main Wikimedia username. (required)
Meritkosy
- Organization
N/A
- If you are a group or organization leader, board member, president, executive director, or staff member at any Wikimedia group, affiliate, or Wikimedia Foundation, you are required to self-identify and present all roles. (required)
N/A
- Describe all relevant roles with the name of the group or organization and description of the role. (required)
Main Proposal[edit]
- 1. Please state the title of your proposal. This will also be the Meta-Wiki page title.
Librarians training for open knowledge through wikimedia projects.
- 2. and 3. Proposed start and end dates for the proposal.
2024-03-01 - 2024-04-01
- 4. Where will this proposal be implemented? (required)
Nigeria
- 5. Are your activities part of a Wikimedia movement campaign, project, or event? If so, please select the relevant project or campaign. (required)
1Lib1Ref
- 6. What is the change you are trying to bring? What are the main challenges or problems you are trying to solve? Describe this change or challenges, as well as main approaches to achieve it. (required)
Librarians stand as essential players in the world of open knowledge who fulfill functions that go far beyond the typical perception of them as the keepers of actual books. They are guardians of information accuracy and accessibility, the advocates of open knowledge access, and bridges connecting communities to the vast repositories of knowledge concealed within library walls and beyond.
In Gombe State, Nigeria, we see a vast potential for librarians to bridge the gap between rich local knowledge and the global reach of Wikimedia projects. However, at the moment, librarians as Wikipedia editors in the state is minimal. This untapped resource represents a missed opportunity to enrich online knowledge with credible, reliable information about Gombe's unique culture, history, and diverse perspectives. we also have books written by notable librarians without information about the books on Wikidata. The training will help to bridge the content gap on Wikidata about Nigerian library books, which can make it easier for people who need this information to find it.
We had the first Wikimedia awareness and training for librarians at the Federal College of Education Gombe which ignited a spark of curiosity that rippled across the state. Now, librarians from other institutions, eager to follow suit, are clamoring for their own training, keen to follow suit. They are curious to know more about Wikipedia and how they can contribute to the free knowledge.
This project aims to empower librarians to actively participate in Wikimedia projects, hope to increase the amount and caliber of information in certain areas that are pertinent to libraries. By doing this, the current deficiency of library-related content on Wikipedia and its sister projects would be filled, giving users dependable and easily accessible information in crucial areas like education, research etc
the Training program will equip librarians with essential editing skills, provide dedicated mentorship from experienced Wikimedians, and offer guidance on navigating copyright and licensing issues.
However, this project will unlock the door for librarians to transform from information facilitators into Wikipedia content creators.
The main approaches/strategies are: Creating Awareness: awareness drive will be initiated within the state - librarians, and library students. Recruiting and Training: Librarians will be recruited and trained Edit-a-thon: this will enable the recruited and trained participants to put the knowledge acquired to use - hands- on experience. Tracking: The outreach dashboard will be used to track and monitor participant’s edits. Top 5 editors will be rewarded
- 7. What are the planned activities? (required) Please provide a list of main activities. You can also add a link to the public page for your project where details about your project can be found. Alternatively, you can upload a timeline document. When the activities include partnerships, include details about your partners and planned partnerships.
Librarians training for open knowledge through wikimedia projects will run for a period of one month with the following activities: Awareness and recruitment: awareness will be made at key libraries across Gombe State, introducing librarians and library students to Wikipedia and its potential for free knowledge sharing (partnering with Gombe State Gombe State library association for access). local media channels will be utilized to spread awareness about the program. There will be an online platform for interested librarians and students to register for the training program.
- Training:
The project will start with 2 days training Workshops to be facilitated by experienced wikimedians, offering practical training on: o Wikipedia editing basics (account creation, core policies, general editing principles) o Minor edits, o Expanding articles on Gombe State, libraries, and librarians in Nigeria creating articles using article creation wizard or sandbox. o Wikidata basics: running queries to identify data gaps, creating and improving items on libraries, associations, and notable librarians in Nigeria, use of quick statement, uploading photos to wikimedia commons. Following the workshop, there will be two series of online reinforcement training and guides for self-paced learning. The online training will help to enhance the participants editing skills and address challenges that they may be having.
Edit a thon/ community engagement: Edit-a-thons on specific topics related to Gombe State, libraries, and local knowledge. Monitoring & Support: Outreach Dashboard will be used to track editors' contributions and engagement. Whatsapp group will be created for personalized guidance, support and feedback to participants. The project will be concluded with a final in-person meeting where the participants will be given certificates and a community of wikibrarians will be formed in Gombe State to ensure the sustainability of the project.
- 8. Describe your team. Please provide their roles, Wikimedia Usernames and other details. (required) Include more details of the team, including their roles, usernames, Wikimedia group, and whether they are salaried, volunteers, consultants/contractors, etc. Team members involved in the grant application need to be aware of their involvement in the project.
1. Meritkosy is the project lead and a fellow of the Wikipedia in African Libraries(WikiAfLIB) and the program manager of the Wikimedia Gombe Network. She is a had participanted in several AfLIA led Wiki training for African librarians - Basics of Wikipedia Editing Learning Circle, African Librarians Week, 1Lib1Ref - Wiki Loves Libraries Nigeria, African Youth Month 2022 Wikidata Training. She is the project lead for wikimedia awareness and training in Federal College of Education, Gombe.
- 2. African librarian is an experienced Wikimedian and trainer who has led over 20 Wikimedia training and taught over 2000 editors, Wikimedian of the Year awardee. She will be available to facilitate online for the training and keynote speaker.
- 3. Atibrarian is an experienced wikimedian, a fellow of the Wikipedia in African Libraries (WikiAfLIB), and a certified trainer of the Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom program. He will available to facilitate a session on how to create an article from scratch, improving an existing article.
- 9. Who are the target participants and from which community? How will you engage participants before and during the activities? How will you follow up with participants after the activities? (required)
The target participants are librarians and library students in Gombe. The participants will be engaged through follow-up during and after activities, and a WhatsApp group will be created specifically for prompt communication. To ensure continuity, sustainability and continuous development of members capacity, 50 participants are targeted for this program.
- 10. Does your project involve work with children or youth? (required)
Yes
- 10.1. Please provide a link to your Youth Safety Policy. (required) If the proposal indicates direct contact with children or youth, you are required to outline compliance with international and local laws for working with children and youth, and provide a youth safety policy aligned with these laws. Read more here.
The policy will be read and explained at the commencement of the project.
- 11. How did you discuss the idea of your project with your community members and/or any relevant groups? Please describe steps taken and provide links to any on-wiki community discussion(s) about the proposal. (required) You need to inform the community and/or group, discuss the project with them, and involve them in planning this proposal. You also need to align the activities with other projects happening in the planned area of implementation to ensure collaboration within the community.
- 12. Does your proposal aim to work to bridge any of the content knowledge gaps (Knowledge Inequity)? Select one option that most apply to your work. (required)
Cultural background, ethnicity, religion, racial
- 13. Does your proposal include any of these areas or thematic focus? Select one option that most applies to your work. (required)
Open Technology
- 14. Will your work focus on involving participants from any underrepresented communities? Select one option that most apply to your work. (required)
Ethnic/racial/religious or cultural background
- 15. In what ways do you think your proposal most contributes to the Movement Strategy 2030 recommendations. Select one that most applies. (required)
Innovate in Free Knowledge
Learning and metrics[edit]
- 17. What do you hope to learn from your work in this project or proposal? (required)
- 18. What are your Wikimedia project targets in numbers (metrics)? (required)
| Other Metrics | Target | Optional description |
|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | ||
| Number of editors | ||
| Number of organizers |
| Wikimedia project | Number of content created or improved |
|---|---|
| Wikipedia | |
| Wikimedia Commons | |
| Wikidata | |
| Wiktionary | |
| Wikisource | |
| Wikimedia Incubator | |
| Translatewiki | |
| MediaWiki | |
| Wikiquote | |
| Wikivoyage | |
| Wikibooks | |
| Wikiversity | |
| Wikinews | |
| Wikispecies | |
| Wikifunctions or Abtsract Wikipedia |
- Optional description for content contributions.
N/A
- 19. Do you have any other project targets in numbers (metrics)? (optional)
No
| Main Open Metrics | Description | Target |
|---|---|---|
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
- 20. What tools would you use to measure each metrics? Please refer to the guide for a list of tools. You can also write that you are not sure and need support. (required)
Financial proposal[edit]
- 21. Please upload your budget for this proposal or indicate the link to it. (required)
- 22. and 22.1. What is the amount you are requesting for this proposal? Please provide the amount in your local currency. (required)
- 22.2. Convert the amount requested into USD using the Oanda converter. This is done only to help you assess the USD equivalent of the requested amount. Your request should be between 500 - 5,000 USD.
USD
- We/I have read the Application Privacy Statement, WMF Friendly Space Policy and Universal Code of Conduct.
No
Endorsements and Feedback[edit]
Please add endorsements and feedback to the grant discussion page only. Endorsements added here will be removed automatically.
Community members are invited to share meaningful feedback on the proposal and include reasons why they endorse the proposal. Consider the following:
- Stating why the proposal is important for the communities involved and why they think the strategies chosen will achieve the results that are expected.
- Highlighting any aspects they think are particularly well developed: for instance, the strategies and activities proposed, the levels of community engagement, outreach to underrepresented groups, addressing knowledge gaps, partnerships, the overall budget and learning and evaluation section of the proposal, etc.
- Highlighting if the proposal focuses on any interesting research, learning or innovation, etc. Also if it builds on learning from past proposals developed by the individual or organization, or other Wikimedia communities.
- Analyzing if the proposal is going to contribute in any way to important developments around specific Wikimedia projects or Movement Strategy.
- Analysing if the proposal is coherent in terms of the objectives, strategies, budget, and expected results (metrics).