WLUG SC 2025 candidate/Gayobah13
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Gayobah13 (talk • meta edits • global user summary • CA)
| Preferred name | Gayo Bah | |
|---|---|---|
| What languages do you speak, and at what fluency level? (Please include your English proficiency.) | English, Fula, Mandinka | |
| What region(s) of the world do you have experience with, and what kind of experience do you have? (“Experience” can mean you have lived or worked there or are currently living or working there; you’re familiar with the culture and language; etc.) | Sub Sharan Africa
I am based in The Gambia (West Africa), where I have over 17 years of experience working in the Gambia National Library, particularly in the national bibliographic section. I am deeply familiar with the cultural, linguistic, and library landscape of West Africa and have been involved in initiatives around legal deposit, national bibliography, and information literacy. Through Wikimedia, I have collaborated with other African Wikimedians, attended conferences such as WikiIndaba, and participated in regional grant and user group activities. | |
| What Wikimedia project(s) do you actively edit? And in what language(s)? | English Wikipedia, Wikisource, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons, Wikimedia Incubator | |
| What affiliate(s) are you actively involved with? In what capacity are you involved? Do you serve in a leadership role or have you in the past? | Wikimedia & Libraries User Group; Wikimedia User Group The Gambia
I am currently leading the initiative to establish a Wikimedia User Group in The Gambia. I created and manage the Facebook page for Wikimedia Gambia User Group and am working to meet the requirements for official recognition. I am also connected to the Wiki Loves Africa and WikiIndaba communities and actively involved in promoting GLAM-Wiki awareness among Gambian librarians and cultural professionals. | |
| Please describe any experience you have with working in Wikipedia/Library. | As a librarian with a strong background in bibliographic services, I have worked extensively with metadata, cataloging, and national publishing standards. I have also organized workshops to introduce library professionals to Wikimedia projects, particularly how libraries can contribute to and benefit from Wikipedia, Wikisource, and Wikidata. I am committed to building bridges between the Wikimedia movement and library institutions across Africa. | |
| What is your view on the development of our affiliation? | I believe the Wikimedia and Libraries User Group has great potential to lead global efforts in aligning open knowledge with library missions. In many regions’ libraries are trusted knowledge institutions but are still underrepresented in Wikimedia collaborations. I would advocate for:
1. Expanding support and mentorship for librarians in emerging communities. 2. Creating toolkits and partnerships for digitization, local history documentation, and language preservation. 3.Promoting inclusion of African library voices in global Wikimedia strategies. | |