Wikimedia+Libraries/Program/Submission/Where next for 1Lib1Ref

Title of your proposal

Where next for #1Lib1Ref?

Name(s) and/or username(s)

Fiona Romeo, User:FRomeo_(WMF)

Alex Stinson, User:AStinson_(WMF)

Ben Vershbow, User:BVershbow_(WMF)

Satdeep Gill, User:SGill_(WMF)

Felix Nartey, User:FNartey (WMF)

glam@wikimedia.org

Wikimedia Foundation, Community Programs team

Topic

• Experience Sharing Panels

Type of submission (Please choose one)

• Panel discussions, especially sharing advocacy and outreach efforts in local contexts (75 minutes)

Keywords and hashtags

outreach, micro-contributions, professional development, localization and contextualization

Abstract

The first “One Librarian, One Reference” (#1Lib1Ref) campaign was launched in January 2016 to celebrate the 15th birthday of Wikipedia. The organizers asked librarians to “Imagine a World where Every Librarian Added One More Reference to Wikipedia.” Librarians were invited to become contributors to Wikipedia through a small first edit that was perfectly aligned with their purpose, knowledge, and skills.

Since then, #1Lib1Ref has grown from a primarily English-language initiative to a twice-annual campaign with support for more than 50 languages. Organizers around the world have made it their own, localizing the identity and timing (e.g. #1Bib1Ref in Latin America), experimenting with themes (e.g. human rights and gender), and developing the campaign into a more robust professional development opportunity (e.g. African Librarians Week). Recent campaigns have started to experiment with new tasks on Wikidata and Wikisource.

Organizers have also faced local challenges and resistance. Some report that the campaign is perceived to have regressive gender dynamics, inviting a feminized profession (librarians) to clean up after predominantly male Wikipedia editors. Others talk about the difficulty of overcoming internalized censorship in post-communist society. While the campaign is growing in some regions, the numbers are down elsewhere.

This global gathering of the people working at the intersection of libraries and the Wikimedia movement is an opportunity to reflect on what’s working and what needs to change. Let’s come together to collectively imagine new invitations to librarians!

While this workshop will be facilitated by the Wikimedia Foundation’s Community Programs team, we mostly want to hear about the experiences and ideas of local and regional organizers.

Expected outcomes

• Creating a space for reflection outside of the pressures of the January-February and May-June campaign periods
• Experienced organizers of #1Lib1Ref and other library outreach campaigns will collectively imagine new invitations and contribution tasks for librarians
• The Wikimedia Foundation will have a better understanding of the needs and interests of #1Lib1Ref organizers in different contexts

Duration (without Q&A)

60-90 minutes

Specific requirements

Panel with breakout spaces for small groups

Interested attendees (Please add yourself, and you may indicate your questions to the presenter).

1. I'd like to share d:Wikidata:1Lib1Nearby as an additional perspective to this panel. --Jeb (talk) 12:00, 22 June 2022 (UTC)

   That would be great, thank you. FRomeo (WMF) (talk) 13:22, 22 June 2022 (UTC)

2. EriedgenArc (talk) 12:15, 23 June 2022 (UTC)
3. Ngostary2k (talk) 10:15, 26 June 2022 (UTC)
4. AKibombo (talk) 13:45, 28 June 2022 (UTC)
5. Matthewvetter (talk) 14:00, 28 June 2022 (UTC)