Grants talk:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Wikidata-ArchivesSpace GLAM plugin (ID: 23096591)

Initial review questions

Hello nmilbrodt, thanks for submitting this Rapid Fund application. Since this is a tech-related project proposal, we have a few initial questions to support the technical project review process. We couldn’t find these details in your grant proposal or the draft product requirements.

• Where will the plugin be hosted?
• Under which license will the code be released?
• Do you plan to provide documentation, either on-wiki or elsewhere?
• What is your plan for ongoing maintenance and support after the plugin is ready?

We would appreciate your response on this page by 13 May 2025. Let us know if you have any questions. --DSaroyan (WMF) (talk) 10:56, 7 May 2025 (UTC)

• Question: Where will the plugin be hosted?

• Answer: Our team has the cooperation of the ArchivesSpace organization, who will facilitate the incorporation and availability of the Wikidata plugin to their open source software by posting it to ArchivesSpace Plugins on GitHub.

• Question: Under which license will the code be released?

• Answer: ArchivesSpace itself is released under the Educational Community License 2.0. To be accepted as an official ArchivesSpace plugin, we prefer that it be in harmony with that.

• Question: Do you plan to provide documentation, either on-wiki or elsewhere?

• Answer: Yes, funding from this grant would pay a developer whose deliverables would include documentation that will be published to the README of the plugin itself, assisted by the Wikimedia Documentarian who has already been hired part-time as part of the CUNY Wikimedian-in-Residence project. We will also publish technical documentation to ArchivesSpace Docs and ArchivesSpace Plugins and on Wikidata to WikiProject Archival Description.

• Question: What is your plan for ongoing maintenance and support after the plugin is ready?

• Answer: The team organizing this initiative and endorsing this proposal are invested ArchivesSpace members who are committed to supporting maintenance, updates and expansions to this plugin. The CUNY Wikimedian-in-Residence and University Archivist will lead this effort, and will monitor and try to address all public comments on the repository for at least the ~2 years of their scheduled terms of employment. Nmilbrodt (talk) 16:30, 12 May 2025 (UTC)

Endorsement from 129.2.89.91

--129.2.89.91 17:23, 8 May 2025 (UTC)

Endorsement from Kind data (talk)

--Kind data (talk) 15:10, 9 May 2025 (UTC)

Endorsement from Librarian lena (talk)

As a librarian at an institution starting to use ArchivesSpace, I think this is a great idea and an excellent way to reduce barrier to entry regarding Linked Open Data.

--Librarian lena (talk) 15:20, 9 May 2025 (UTC)

Endorsement from Mlemusrojas (talk)

--Mlemusrojas (talk) 15:28, 9 May 2025 (UTC)

Endorsement from Moosebird (talk)

I strongly support the development of a Wikidata-ArchivesSpace plugin, and I think the proposers have put together a straightforward and compelling plan. I'm a library metadata worker and the vast majority of my 37,000 Wikidata edits are related to authority control: adding Library of Congress Name Authority File (Q18912790) and other identifiers to existing items, enhancing items with information from (and references to) our archival and bibliographic resources and systems, and creating new items to increase discoverability for people in our collections who aren't documented in bibliographic systems like LCNAF.

There's so much conversation in GLAM professional networks about linked data, but I still feel like we generally live on this side of the implementation gap: for most workers and most institutions, Wikidata is a side project or sandbox at best. The proposed plugin is a small but critical step toward actually connecting Wikidata into existing GLAM tools and workflows. And the benefits will flow both ways: archivists get access to the extensive authority information already in Wikidata, and they are incentivized to contribute to that data as it becomes part of their workflows.

—Moosebird (talk) 15:28, 9 May 2025 (UTC)

Endorsement from Sarahobender (talk)

Enabling and easing the inclusion of Wikidata i.d.s to support authority control and linked data functionality within this widely-implemented archives collection platform is an essential step towards opening up and inter-relating collections of valuable unique materials.

--Sarahobender (talk) 16:20, 9 May 2025 (UTC)

Endorsement from Chicagohil (talk)

This plugin contributes to both the knowledge as a service and knowledge equity goals of the Movement Strategy. It will make it easier for GLAM professionals at smaller institutions and institutions with fewer resources to contribute to Wikidata as part of their regular workflows. These places have a wealth of community and local knowledge that is not yet represented in Wikidata.

--Chicagohil (talk) 17:51, 9 May 2025 (UTC)

Endorsement from Emwille (talk)

1. To the best of my knowledge, archives have largely lagged behind other GLAM institutions in using Wikidata to promote collections. They have a wealth of historical information and valuable context in their collections and finding aids, and could benefit from information in Wikidata as well, but I don't see these collaborations happening frequently. This proposal could dramatically lower barriers to partnership, and provide a concrete example of how archives and Wikidata can benefit other, leading to future collaboration.

2. There are detailed, well thought out product requirements to guide the software developer and strong support from institutions with members who have done similar work before. To me this looks like they've built a strong foundation for the project, and the funding will be well spent on outcomes.

3. Many (most?) archives are using ArchivesSpace for their finding aids, and a partnership with Wikidata could be very interesting and productive for both communities. As the proposal says, it building on a previous plugin created for SNAC (Social Networks and Archival Context).

4. I think it would significantly contribute to knowledge as a service ("platform that serves knowledge in many formats and builds tools for allies") and knowledge equity ("knowledge and communities that structures of power and privilege have left out").

5. Yes.

--Emwille (talk) 14:51, 13 May 2025 (UTC)

Endorsement from BruyereC (talk)

It's important for information profesionals to have name authority options in addition to LCNAF.

--BruyereC (talk) 15:13, 13 May 2025 (UTC)

Endorsement from Clements.UWLib (talk)

I use Wikidata to create links to archival finding aids by hand and using Quickstatements, and a GLAM plugin to streamline this work for ArchivesSpace would make this work easier. Archival metadata has a lot to offer the WikiMedia family of projects--archives are primary sources for entities described, and often provide reliable information not found in other sources. I think the overall budget and need to hire a developer are accurate for this task. I think the proposal will increase participation from the archival community significantly, and help the community create semantic links between collections about the same topics in disparate repositories. It will also point users in the direction of primary sources regarding knowledge areas they are interested in. I think the proposal is coherent in terms of objectives, strategies, budget and expected results. --Clements.UWLib (talk) 15:16, 13 May 2025 (UTC)

Endorsement from Train songs (talk)

Train songs (talk) 14:26, 15 May 2025 (UTC)

--Train songs (talk) 14:26, 15 May 2025 (UTC)

Endorsement from Riesengrey (talk)

ArchivesSpace administrators at my institution report that they frequently cannot find relevant local creators and other entities in LC vocabularies using the existing LC plugin. A Wikidata plugin and the ability to link more easily to Wikidata from our finding aids would be helpful for us and enrich our data!

--Riesengrey (talk) 23:56, 21 May 2025 (UTC)

Endorsement from Sehovde (talk)

This plugin would build on Wikidata work already done (and ongoing) by my institution and would allow us to enrich local archival collections to improve their usability.

--Sehovde (talk) 14:57, 29 May 2025 (UTC)

Comments from I JethroBT (WMF)

Hello nmilbrodt and team! I'm happy to inform you that we will be fully funding the proposal to develop the ArchivesSpace plugin. After review with technical staff at the Foundation, please also review the following feedback and recommendations regarding the implementation of this proposal:

• We appreciate the plan to develop a plugin that will serve as a Wikidata-based authority control solution for GLAM professionals. We recognize the demand for such a plugin and are happy to support this effort.
• We encourage you to consider a long-term maintenance strategy — potentially by engaging volunteer developers during the two-year employment period of the CUNY Wikimedian-in-Residence and the University Archivist.
• We’re glad to see the use of an open-source license: Educational Community License 2.0. However, please note that ECL 2.0 may not be fully compatible with MediaWiki’s licensing requirements, particularly due to its incompatibility with GPLv2. We recommend choosing a license that is fully compatible with GPLv2.
• We acknowledge that ArchivesSpace currently offers paid membership. Please ensure that the developed plugin remains freely accessible to all users.

With thanks, I JethroBT (WMF) (talk) 16:44, 12 June 2025 (UTC)