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Wikimedia Community User Group Uganda/Documentation with BRIMS Heritage Resource Centre

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A lack of access to museum artefacts is one of the contributing factors to low representation and poor documentation of museum-related information in Uganda on various Wikimedia projects.

Partners

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This partnership is between BRIMS Heritage Resource Centre, ICOM Uganda National Committee and GLAM-Wiki under Wikimedia Community User Group Uganda.

BRIMS Heritage Resource Centre is a private museum established and registered in Uganda, to promote the collection and conservation of unique, vintage, classic collectibles, with the purpose of preservation, and showcasing the evolution of technological regimes. The institution collects and restores vintage, unique and classic items that preserve and promote culture.

GLAM is an acronym for Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums. The GLAM-Wiki initiative supports institutions who want to work with Wikimedia to produce open-access, freely-reusable content for the public through high-impact collaborative projects with experienced Wikimedians.

On the other hand, ICOM Uganda National Committee organizes ICOM’s members at a national level, manages ICOM membership within Uganda, advocates for the interests of museums and museum professionals in Uganda, addresses national issues and promotes favorable environments for cultural institutions.

Objectives

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The objectives of this partnership include but are not limited to

  1. Expanding the depth and breadth of content on Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons and Wikidata in relation to the evolution of technology and digital heritage of Uganda through quality documentation using photographs ;
  2. Hosting a teaching/training session for Wikimedia editors and the staff of BRIMS Heritage Resource Centre on how to upload images to Wikimedia Commons and meaningfully describe them for visibility; showing them how to meaningfully integrate and use QRPEdia in the museum in addition to how to author articles on Wikipedia;
  3. For Wikimedia editors to benefit from guidance on collection handling and recording of artifacts
  4. For staff of BRIMS Heritage Resource Centre and Wikimedia editors to benefit from guidance on how to represent museum-related information on open access online platforms;
  5. For all parties to present the progress and eventual outcome of the project at the national International Museum Day 2024 celebrations due in May 2024;

Activities

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Activities to will include :

  1. Photographic documentation of selected artefacts ;
  2. Documentation of the process through photos, a blog,post ;
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Please follow this link to the project dashboard

Achievements

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  1. We were able to establish a partnership with partners ICOM Uganda National Committee and BRIMS Heritage Resource Centre ;
  2. We were able to sign an MOU and thus legitimise our relationship  : Follow this link to access the MOU
  3. We obtained a number of quality images through a content-sharing agreement (some are pending editing and upload) ;
  4. The team learned and appreciated the process of documenting museums especially on a budget as we had to improvise in many instances . We also benefitted from the involvement and guidance of professional museum conservators and curators ;
  5. We produced a documentary about the process and our learning points. Follow this link to access the documentary
  6. A number of the team later benefitted from training in the British Library's Endangered Archives Programme in late 2024
  7. We were invited to present and participate in a 2 day Heritage Workshop on Effective Digital Media & Engagement at the Uganda National Cultural Centre ;

Challenges

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  1. Digitisation projects cost alot - in terms of hiring professionals, time invested and logistical arrangements ;
  2. The project was carried out in a season where the sunlight affected outdoor photography and we had no equipment for indoor use which made it last longer than we had expected ;

Learning points

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  1. Documentation projects are best undertaken under professional guidance for best results ;
  2. Time is an important factor for the whole project as well as the days activities - some days may be slower than others simply because of weather conditions ;
  3. Be flexible and allow for improvisation ;
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