Wikimedia and Libraries User Group/Governance and Strategy

🏛️ Governance and Strategy

This section details the operational structure, leadership, and strategic direction of the Wikimedia and Libraries User Group (WLUG).

1. Governance

WLUG's governance is designed to be transparent, inclusive, and responsive, intrinsically linked to the active participation of its members.

Steering Committee (SC)

The Steering Committee is the voluntary body that guides the strategic direction of the group. It is responsible for important decision-making, resource management, and the sustainability of initiatives. The Committee ensures that actions align with Wikimedia community values and that the group operates transparently and efficiently.

Structure and Dynamics

The SC is led by voluntary members.
Members are organized into 3 working groups:
- Strategy & Governance
- Communication & Outreach
- Program & Capacity Building
The groups are interdependent, and decision-making dynamics involve all SC members.
SC members meet monthly to discuss group-related matters and decide the strategic direction of actions.

Decision-Making Principle

The decision-making process is based on collaborative and participatory processes.
The Steering Committee, while holding responsibility for final decisions and strategic planning, must use the open forum for conversation and coordinated action provided by the group as an essential starting point.
Member participation is fundamental for the Committee to contribute its perspectives and help shape the future of engagement with libraries within the Wikimedia ecosystem.

Key Responsibilities and Expected Actions

Define annual goals.
Establish strategic partnerships.
Create project guidelines and protocols.
Analyze the impact of group actions.
Manage the budget and resource allocation.
A key focus is the establishment of the group's internal regulations and transparency protocols (documentation).

Governance Documents

annual reports
Minutes of Steering Committee meetings (to be defined with the group how and how often to publish on the page).

Elections and Composition

Elections for the Steering Committee are held to ensure that WLUG remains transparent, inclusive, and responsive to its diverse member base.

Term: Elected members serve for 2-year terms.
Current Mandate: The current SC serves for the period July 2025 to July 2027.
Next Election: Elections for the selection of SC members should be held in June 2027.
Ideal Candidates: Ideal candidates are librarians active in Wikimedia projects

2. Strategy

WLUG's strategy is defined by its mission, aspirations, and clear goals, aiming to foster collaboration between Wikimedia communities and libraries worldwide.

Mission and Core Convictions

Mission: To constitute an open forum for conversation and coordinated action among Wikimedia community members, librarians, and information professionals.
Central Motivation: To share resources and best practices.
Core Convictions:
- Wikipedians and librarians are natural allies in fostering information literacy.
- Wikipedians depend on libraries for references and librarians for reference expertise.
- Librarians should recognize Wikipedia as an imperfect but reliable source of knowledge.

Aspirations and Focus

WLUG aspires to:

Meet other community leaders who work with libraries.
Form partnerships with allies.
Host events at institutions.
Conduct outreach to national organizations or regional and international groups and consortia.
Special Focus: To find ways to help libraries, librarians, donors and bibliographic resources contribute to Wikimedia projects.

Connect with the WLUG

Wikimedia Mailing list: discussion list about collaborations between the world's libraries and the Wikimedia Foundation, Wikipedia, and its sister projects.

Facebook Wikimedia + Libraries: the intersection of Wikimedia and Libraries, and all the areas for potential collaboration between them.

Become a member: formally join the WLUG user group to support the mission and engage in our activities.