Grants talk:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Digitalización Chile (ID: 22985484)

Review feedback

Hello Ignacio Rodríguez, thank you for submitting this Rapid Fund request. Apologies for communicating in English—I’ll include a machine-translated Spanish version below, but please feel free to respond in Spanish.

We appreciate your efforts to digitize and preserve Chilean historical books in the public domain. We recognize the potential impact of this project on Wikimedia Commons and Wikisource.

However, per the Rapid Fund eligibility criteria, equipment purchases are only allowed for groups, organizations, and affiliates. Given that this is high-cost equipment requiring ongoing support and maintenance, we are willing to make an exception to this rule if the following conditions are met:

• Affiliate ownership: We request confirmation that the scanner will not be personally owned but will be transferred to Wikimedia Chile, allowing them to manage and maintain it for community use.
• Affiliate agreement: Wikimedia Chile must confirm their willingness to take ownership of the scanner, support this project, maintain the equipment, and coordinate its shared usage with community members.
• Usage plan: You would work together with Wikimedia Chile to prepare a clear plan outlining how the scanner will be utilized during and after the project, ensuring availability to community members and partners.

If no agreement is reached regarding the shared ownership and usage of the scanner, we will not be able to proceed with this grant request. We sent a notification to you and Wikimedia Chile regarding the request. Please coordinate with the affiliate and add your response to this page by 11 March 2025.

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Hola Ignacio Rodríguez, gracias por enviar esta solicitud de Fondo Rápido. Disculpe que me comunique en inglés. Incluiré a continuación una versión en español traducida automáticamente, pero siéntase libre de responder en español.

Apreciamos sus esfuerzos por digitalizar y preservar los libros históricos chilenos de dominio público. Reconocemos el impacto potencial de este proyecto en Wikimedia Commons y Wikisource.

Sin embargo, según los Criterios de elegibilidad del Fondo Rápido, la compra de equipos sólo está permitida para grupos, organizaciones y afiliados. Dado que se trata de equipos de alto coste que requieren apoyo y mantenimiento continuos, estamos dispuestos a hacer una excepción a esta regla si se cumplen las siguientes condiciones:

• Propiedad del afiliado: Solicitamos confirmación de que el escáner no será de propiedad personal, sino que será transferido a Wikimedia Chile, permitiéndoles administrarlo y mantenerlo para uso de la comunidad.
• Acuerdo de afiliación: Wikimedia Chile debe confirmar su voluntad de asumir la propiedad del escáner, apoyar este proyecto, mantener el equipo y coordinar su uso compartido con los miembros de la comunidad.
• Plan de uso: Usted trabajaría junto con Wikimedia Chile para preparar un plan claro que describa cómo se utilizará el escáner durante y después del proyecto, asegurando su disponibilidad para los miembros de la comunidad y socios.

Si no se llega a un acuerdo respecto a la propiedad y uso compartido del escáner, no podremos proceder con esta solicitud de subvención. Le enviamos una notificación a usted y a Wikimedia Chile con respecto a la solicitud. Por favor coordine con el afiliado y agregue su respuesta a esta página antes del 11 de marzo de 2025. --DSaroyan (WMF) (talk) 10:58, 6 March 2025 (UTC)

I think the conditions are more than adequate. In fact, it's the ideal situation for me, so I can exit the initiative in the future if I need to. I contacted Wikimedia Chile and they will answer before the March 11. Regards, Ignacio Rodríguez (talk) 11:27, 6 March 2025 (UTC)

Thanks @Ignacio Rodríguez, I also contacted them also with some questions regarding their role in the project and fiscal sponsorship. DSaroyan (WMF) (talk) 11:46, 6 March 2025 (UTC)

Hi!

I am Pablo Cartes, the person in charge of the Territories and Local Content area at Wikimedia Chile. I am writing on behalf of Wikimedia Chile to confirm the request for the acquisition of the scanner and support for Ignacio Rodríguez.

Below the key points addressing the feedback may be found:

Affiliation Agreement

Wikimedia Chile commits to acquiring and maintaining ownership of the scanner requested by Ignacio Rodríguez for the ‘Digitalización Chile’ throughout its useful life, considering the following responsibilities:

1) Safeguarding the equipment in a secure location (office) to ensure its integrity during its useful life.

2) Prioritizing using the scanner for current and future projects led by Ignacio Rodríguez.

3) Making the equipment available to Wikimedia Chile’s community of members.

4) Managing the transportation of the scanner to libraries and other locations for document digitization.

5) Wikimedia Chile commits to acting as the project’s fiscal sponsor, which includes receiving funds, purchasing the scanner, handling financial reports related to the project, and performing other administrative tasks.

Use of the Scanner During the Project

During the development of the ‘Digitalización Chile project,’ the scanner will be stored at Wikimedia Chile’s office, located at Andrés de Fuenzalida 17, Office 51. A designated person will ensure the device’s integrity.

The Director of Territories and Local Content at Wikimedia Chile will coordinate directly with Ignacio Rodríguez regarding the delivery of the scanner for digitization sessions. Wikimedia Chile will facilitate the scanner’s transportation if financial support is needed.

Additionally, Wikimedia Chile’s staff will participate in digitization sessions in person when requested by Ignacio Rodríguez.

Regarding dissemination, Wikimedia Chile will utilize all available internal and external communication channels to enhance outreach for the initiative and encourage participation from other community members as project volunteers. Wikimedia Chile will also communicate the project’s progress and results to internal and external communities to highlight its contribution to open knowledge and using Wikimedia platforms.

If necessary, Wikimedia Chile will support the selection process for institutions eligible to use the scanner. It will also act as a counterpart in the coordination of activities.

Use of the Scanner After the Project

To ensure the scanner’s availability after the project’s completion, Wikimedia Chile will continue Ignacio Rodríguez’s initiative by organizing annual calls for institutions within the GLAM sector with the greatest need for digitization. This process will involve selecting two institutions from different regions of the country. Support for these institutions will include assistance with scanner use, training in Wikimedia platforms, and any other needs that Wikimedia Chile’s staff can address.

Additionally, the scanner will be available to Wikimedia Chile’s member community to support their projects. Individuals and organizations may also submit requests for short-term use of the scanner.

As during the ‘Digitalización Chile project,’ Wikimedia Chile will continue to store and maintain the scanner to ensure optimal conservation conditions. A designated person will be responsible for the device’s use and must undergo training to ensure its optimal operation, maximize its functionalities, and ensure proper maintenance.

Regards Pcartes (WMCL) (talk) 15:55, 10 March 2025 (UTC)

Hello @Pcartes (WMCL), thanks so much for your detailed response and clear plan. I find it sufficient to move forward with the project. However, I have two additional questions from my original email for you:

• Could you confirm that @Ignacio Rodríguez does not hold any leadership or staff position at Wikimedia Chile?
• We are glad you would also serve as a fiscal sponsor for this grant. Do you request any fiscal sponsorship fees? The proposed budget does not include any mention of fiscal sponsorship fees, so I would like to confirm.

Thanks -- DSaroyan (WMF) (talk) 12:22, 12 March 2025 (UTC)

Good afternoon,

Thank you for your comments.

Regarding the first point, Wikimedia Chile confirms that Ignacio Rodríguez is not part of the corporation's paid staff nor does he hold any executive position. He is also not currently receiving any money, as he is a community volunteer.

We commit to acting as the fiscal sponsor, requesting an additional 10% on top of the originally requested amount so that no funds are deducted from the initial budget. Please let us know if this is possible or if we should consider an alternative solution.

Best Regards Pcartes (WMCL) (talk) 17:29, 12 March 2025 (UTC)

Hello @Pcartes (WMCL), thanks for the confirmation. Of course, it is possible to add 10% of fiscal sponsorship fees on top of the requested amount. -- DSaroyan (WMF) (talk) 18:53, 12 March 2025 (UTC)

Hello @Ignacio Rodríguez, we are pleased to inform you that we have approved funding for this grant request in the amount of 4,053,810.00 CLP (4,223.00 USD). This amount includes a 10% fiscal sponsorship allocation to Wikimedia Chile. Thank you for your engagement throughout the review process. We wish you all the best with your approved project! -- DSaroyan (WMF) (talk) 19:01, 12 March 2025 (UTC)

Many thanks! I hope to be reporting the successes of our project soon! Ignacio Rodríguez (talk) 14:22, 13 March 2025 (UTC)

Budget adjustments

Hello, I am the grantee of the Rapid Fund Grant "Digitalización Chile" (ID: 22985484). I’m writing to clarify a question regarding my grant funding.

Between the time of the grant application and today, the company CZUR discontinued the specific book scanner model we had requested (the M3000 series). It is not possible to source this model from any reseller at a price lower than the originally requested amount.

I wanted to check if it would be acceptable to purchase a more affordable model and use part of the budget to make modifications (such as a V-shaped base and adjustments to the lighting and shadow-handling setup) to approximate the performance of the more advanced model. We estimate that the total cost will in no case exceed the original budget.

Looking forward to your guidance on this matter. Ignacio Rodríguez (talk) 15:37, 2 April 2025 (UTC)

Hello @Ignacio Rodríguez, thanks for reaching out. I'm sorry to hear that the scanner model is not available. It will be acceptable for us if you decide to purchase another model. However, could you notify us of the model before purchasing it?

I also worked on a similar digitization project several years ago, and the scanner we used was the Archivist. You may still be able to potentially create or order it, but you might need relevant skill set to set it up and work with it. We also used Fujitsu ScanSnap SV600 Overhead Scanner which I wouldn't recommend. DSaroyan (WMF) (talk) 15:53, 2 April 2025 (UTC)

Hello, thank you for such a fast reply! We looked for the Archivist or a similar DIY model, but I don't trust my carpentry skills at all and nobody on my team does. We are currently looking for the ET series, that has a similar camera, specially the 24MP model, and there are sellers that ship it to our country. Ignacio Rodríguez (talk) 16:28, 2 April 2025 (UTC)

Hello @Ignacio Rodríguez, thanks for the update! The scanner looks good. Please consider the speed and shape before purchasing it. As I mentioned, we worked with a similar looking scanner — Fujitsu ScanSnap SV600 — in the past, and it was extremely slow and was difficult to scan thicker books. But I hope the technology has improved since then. Good luck with the scanner purchase and let me know if you have any other requests. DSaroyan (WMF) (talk) 08:39, 3 April 2025 (UTC)

Thanks for the feedback! In the specifications it says it takes 1.5 seconds per page for a trained operator, which it seems fast enough to us. Ignacio Rodríguez (talk) 10:03, 3 April 2025 (UTC)