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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by BirgitteSB (talk | contribs) at 01:56, 10 August 2012 (→‎NARA Wikisource Dashboard: sig). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

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RE: Coordinator sought for the US National Archives WikiProject

Id be glad to help but not sure what exactly it entails in taking the leadership.(Lihaas (talk) 13:20, 21 June 2012 (UTC)).[reply]

I just realized that I never linked this anywhere, but I started working on a more concrete list of tasks on the page's talk page. Of course, I am also hoping that if you have more experience with WikiProject maintenance than me that you might have your own ideas about what to focus on, too. Dominic·t 14:21, 21 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]

The Generals Photos again

Hi Dominic - are you still at NARA? If so, over the past few months I've been receiving letters from stillpix regarding the generals that I'd previously been trying yo find hptoos for - I have the accession numbers currently and also have the Xerox photocopies uploaded here - is there any way we can arrange to get color scans of the images on here? Thanks, – Connormah (talk) 21:32, 26 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Here are the photos -
If there's any way we can get color scans of these, that'd be great! Thanks! – Connormah (talk) 21:45, 26 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]
This is actually good timing. I've been away from NARA for grad school, but I am back for the summer now. I'm willing to put more work into fulfilling requests, and making the requests page functional. It can be a little difficult, because I don't really work in still pix or digitization (I'm in social media), but I think our luck might be changing with some of the new people we have in the office that are more connected. I'll see what we can do.

Maybe in exchange (I know you're working on these so you can improve the articles, so you don't really owe me anything; I'm just being cute), you could tale a look at WP:GLAM/NARA/Coordinator and see what you think. I think we could use someone who's invested in the project, experienced, and active like you. Dominic·t 00:00, 27 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I'd love to help out, however I'm pretty busy in the next year with school (and I'm taking a course this summer as well). I'll keep watch and make improvements to the articles when I get the time though, without question. Thanks for the help! – Connormah (talk) 00:56, 27 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Could we additionally get
in color as well? I just got another letter today for some others, I'll post their citation numbers here once I upload the Xeroxes. Thanks! – Connormah (talk) 23:11, 3 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Here are the other ones I got today:
Keep me posted if you are able to get these done! Thanks so much again! – Connormah (talk) 23:48, 3 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Wikimedia New York City Annual Meeting Sat Jun 30

Join us at Jefferson Market Library on Saturday starting at 1pm for our annual meeting and elections, details at Wikipedia:Meetup/NYC!--Pharos (talk) 17:31, 29 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]

You've got mail!

Hello, Dominic. Please check your email; you've got mail!
Message added 05:45, 14 July 2012 (UTC). It may take a few minutes from the time the email is sent for it to show up in your inbox. You can remove this notice at any time by removing the {{You've got mail}} or {{ygm}} template.

Ed [talk] [majestic titan] 05:45, 14 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

You're invited to Masterpiece Museum Edit-a-Thon!

"Masterpiece Museum" Edit-a-Thon at the Smithsonian American Art Museum

The Smithsonian American Art Museum and Wikimedia DC present the "Masterpiece Museum" Edit-a-Thon. Drawing from their vast vaults of art, the caretakers of the Smithsonian American Art Museum have meticulously drawn forth canvas jewels to import into Wikimedia Commons and Wikipedia articles. The museum directors and staff are excited about this project, and would love to have experienced Wikimedians help in the effort! Kirill [talk] 17:59, 29 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

When
  • August 10, 2012, 10 AM - 4 PM
Where
  • Smithsonian American Art Museum, 7th & F St NW, Washington, DC
Signup

You may be interested in the note I left here. --MZMcBride (talk) 18:55, 29 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

NARA Wikisource Dashboard

Hi Dominic. I was finally giving the NARA dashboard a detailed look. I am really excited about it as a proof of concept. But I was wondering about how it is maintained, or what the plan is for updating it. How are we going to signal to the NARA that something has been validated and can be removed from the dashboard? Or to know what texts are on deck to ne added so we can watchlist them? It does seem to have brought novices to Wikisource, and we have largely failed to support them. Although to be fair, I am not sure many people have been very aware of exactly what pages the NARA was directing people towards. Are you the appropriate contact to work with on the dashboard or else can you direct me to who is maintaining it?--BirgitteSB 02:32, 8 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

You're right that right now it's more of a proof of concept. It's a demonstration of a cultural institution that has already bought into Wikisource (and therefore useful as a model for both communities). For it to be truly productive, and not just a proof of concept, it will need a little more coordination on both sides. For Wikisource's part, we need eyes on the pages being transcribed by the public, so that we can complete the non-newbie tasks of creating index and mainspace pages for them, and doing validation. It would also be a good idea for Wikisource to be sure to welcome, and try to retain, editors that come over from the dashboard. For NARA's part, we need to have a queue in place and be rotating out completed pages swiftly, and a process in place for adding the validated documents to the online catalog. I'm not sure I have the best solution, since we want to do this without adding a lot of overhead for the limited manpower we have. An automated tool might help, I think. If we could collaboratively maintain the queue on Wikisource, a bot could track the changes to the pages so they don't fall through the cracks, and alert us when it's time to make a change. At the very least, even without a bot, if we have a queue on a Wikisource page, we'd be able to use related changes to monitor them.

The dashboard itself is actually maintained by Meredith Stewart, who works in the same office as me, but I work together with her on anything that involves Wikisource or Wikipedia, so I can be Wikisource's contact on any dashboard-related issues. Right now, things are being updated a little haphazardly, but mostly just based on a random set of images that were picked out for having been uploaded in JPG already and being easy enough for beginners (and maybe visually striking, too). From NARA's perspective, I think what we'd really love to see happen is for the Wikisource community to really take ownership of its part in the dashboard, since the better Wikisource can utilize the dashboard to its own ends, the more NARA will benefit as well. Wikisource largely has the freedom to pick whatever documents it would like displayed, too (limited by what has been uploaded so far or can be obtained, of course), and make other changes as it sees fit. NARA might occasionally want to use the dashboard (or send people directly to Wikisource) to promote transcription of a specific collection, but that would only work if there is support on Wikisource's end. Dominic·t 20:03, 8 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I don't disagree with much said, but I perhaps have a different nuance on it. The first priority in my mind is to have a list of what is on the dashboard right now in sync at Wikisource. I went through and watchlisted all the current items, as soon as realized how people were becoming lost on those pages. But it is very tedious to do this through the dashboard, navigate dashboard, click, accept external site, load large image/editing page, watchlist, back to dashboard and try to remember which ones you already watchlisted. And to think of this being the only way to check if something is still active on the dashboard, well it is just painful. Having these pages on many watchlists to guard for any novices struggling is the most important issue to my mind, and you can see people have struggled a great deal unnoticed. I don't think it is a good idea to have a lot of activity in changing items on the dashboard until we can easily sync it with a list on wiki for watchlisting. I don't want to push people on Wikisource to watch these pages yet when there is not a workable process to support them; it risks burning through people needlessly.
More generally. The visually striking idea is a bit problematic, as they will always require advanced editing. Eventually there should be a few advanced documents on the dashboard. But the posters have not been very successful for people with redlinks, although strangely the worst has been the ordinary looking typewritten pages. Everyone tries to use spaces to indent in the wikitext! I agree about using the dashboard for collections, or connect with other NARA campaigns, I think this is really a good direction for it. I imagine this will turn into a real strength of the dashboard when it is more mature. But not yet.
The one thing I do disagree on, where I think you are missing something, is the opportunity to engage the dashboard community. They are not passive web browsers to be assigned the tasks the current Wikisource community took ownership of picking. They can pick what they will assign themselves to work on next! So I would hate to see Wikisource become accustomed to picking what is on the NARA dashboard and develop a firm process for this in this early stage. Obviously there needs to be some extra structure in the beginning from Wikisource to have it launch well, but frankly this needs to be something that can be easily handed off to the dashboard users who stick. They are the ones who will be truly empowered by taking ownership of the selection process. But this isn't something to worry about yet.
Back to where I started, and this is unfortunately where I of not use whatsoever. We need to have the software on the dashboard produce a list or a feed or something that can automatically be recorded on a central page on Wikisource. A page that can be watchlisted. So anyone can stay on top of changes in exactly where people are being dropped in the deep end of the wiki. A many experienced editors need to take this on their watchlist. Next we need a good way to feed back to NARA that some page needs to be removed from the dashboard, either because it is done or it is too problematic. Eventually this should be automatic, Validated and Problematic, after all, are machine readable states for pages on Wikisource. But again I am useless developing magical software solutions. Then we need to really focus on the people showing up through, and what works to help them feel successful. Then worry about a software queue solution, then worry about selection process for filling the queue. So the thing we disagree on is very far away!
Is Meredith a software person? Either way, do you know a Mediawiki dev with GLAM interest that can work with her or on their own to solve some of the priority roadblocks I outlined. Wikisource has always been very thin with develop sorts. Looking to us for software solutions will mean redirecting people who are currently working on projects immediately beneficial to Wikisources in all languages to work on a proof of concept for one small corner of en.WS. I don't know if they could be convinced, nor if I would want them to be. I don't mind making the pleas, however, if you can give me some leads on who to approach and the basic information on the NARA dashboard platform which I can parrot.--BirgitteSB 01:56, 10 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]
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