Hi all, My colleague, Eryk, alerted me to this thread (I'm subscribed now). I think I can shed a little light as to what's going on with Visiting Scholars.
For a brief introduction, I'm the Community Engagement Manager with the Wiki Education Foundation. My "official" username is User:Ryan_(Wiki_Ed) and my volunteer account is User:Rhododendrites. Since the Wikipedia Library is growing rapidly and Wiki Ed wanted to dedicate time and resources to grow this program in particular, Wiki Ed will be running Visiting Scholars in the US and Canada. But that hand-off only just happened with the announcements this week, with five institutions already ready to go (see posts on the Wiki Ed blog <http://wikiedu.org/blog/2015/07/13/visiting-scholars/> and WMF blog <https://blog.wikimedia.org/2015/07/13/wikipedians-as-visiting-scholars/>), so I want to try to apologize in advance for what I'm sure will be a few hiccups/areas of confusion. Pine, regarding why you weren't in the loop about UW: Though Jake or Alex could probably say more definitively, it looks like the person who signed up to supervise the position, Paul Constantine, was contacted by the OCLC representative working with the Wikipedia Library. She wouldn't likely have known how to find out if Wikipedians are there first. You may want to connect with Paul, but in the future I'd be more than happy to work with you. Since we work with so many universities at Wiki Ed, we're pretty committed to maintaining a database of people we can talk to about this or that at different institutions. Then there's the implicit question of why no UW contact was listed for the UW position. I've centralized the application process to have them go through me rather than going directly to the institutional contacts. That way I can do some screening, looking for the kinds of things a non-Wikipedian would have difficulty determining. It's also because I'd like to do more recruitment in the other direction, reaching out to Wikipedians to apply even if there's no open position and/or having conversations with people who want access to research materials. If I'm managing the applications, I can better make those connections. So the reason the contact isn't there is because I wanted to avoid the confusion of having a second email address someone might accidentally send their resume to. Upon reflection, it probably would be a good idea to include the contact's name and maybe a link to their faculty/staff bio. Sorry for the long message. If you have questions or comments about Visiting Scholars, please send an email or leave a message on my talk page. Thanks! Ryan On Tue, Jul 14, 2015 at 2:37 PM, Eryk Salvaggio <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > On Tue, Jul 14, 2015 at 8:12 AM, Pine W <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Hi Lane, I wasn't aware that this position was planned at all. We have >> contacts at the UW libraries and at Wiki Ed but they seem to have planned >> this without us being in the loop. That said, I'm glad that UW and Wiki Ed >> arranged for this position. Pinging Jake and Sage to see of they will let >> us know the contact people for this position at UW and Wiki Ed, off-list >> if >> necessary. >> >> Thanks, >> Pine >> On Jul 14, 2015 7:50 AM, "Lane Rasberry" <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> > Note the UW position- do we know this contact? >> > >> > ---------- Forwarded message --------- >> > From: Jake Orlowitz <[email protected]> >> > Date: Mon, Jul 13, 2015, 5:28 PM >> > Subject: [Wikimedia-l] 5 New Visiting Scholars Positions Open (now under >> > Wiki Ed) >> > To: [email protected] < >> > [email protected]>, >> [email protected] >> > < >> > [email protected]> >> > >> > >> > The Wikipedia Library <https://enwp.org/wiki/WP:TWL> is pleased to >> > announce >> > five new Wikipedia Visiting Scholars >> > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WP:VS> positions >> > with US and Canadian universities and research organizations as part of >> an >> > program expansion. >> > >> > Visiting Scholars are remote, unpaid Wikipedia editors who become >> > affiliated with top research libraries. They receive full access to the >> > partner library’s e-resources to expand topics of institutional interest >> > which also need development on Wikipedia. This marks the second >> successful >> > round of institutions participating in the program >> > <http://blog.wikimedia.org/2015/03/17/wikipedia-research-library/>. >> > >> > These new positions will be coordinated and managed by the Wikipedia >> > Library’s movement partner, the Wiki Education Foundation >> > <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wiki_Education_Foundation> (Wiki Ed). >> > Wiki >> > Ed will process applications, connect to schools, and drive the growth >> of >> > the program in the North American region. They are in an excellent >> position >> > to help expand Visiting Scholars because of their extensive existing >> > connections to universities and desire to support Wikipedia’s best >> content >> > creators. >> > >> > We invite Wikipedia editors who specialize in content creation, and >> would >> > like access to a full research library, to apply for these new unpaid, >> > remote affiliate positions at the following research libraries: >> > >> > - *McMaster University >> > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McMaster_University>* is a public >> > university in Hamilton, Ontario >> > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton,_Ontario>, Canada. The >> > library’s >> > holdings in their Division of Research Collections and Archives >> contain >> > many valuable and unique resources, with emphases in areas such as >> peace >> > and war (with a particular emphasis on the Holocaust >> > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holocaust> and resistance), Bertrand >> > Russell <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertrand_Russell>, Canadian >> > literature and popular culture. >> > - *DePaul University < >> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DePaul_University>* >> > is >> > a private university in Chicago < >> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago >> > >, >> > Illinois. The library is looking for Wikipedians who can focus on >> > Chicago >> > history, Catholic social justice studies, and/or Vincentian Studies >> > (including French history during the Napoleonic Era >> > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleonic_Era>). >> > - *The Smithsonian Institution >> > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smithsonian_Institution>*, >> > established in 1846 “for the increase and diffusion of knowledge,” >> is a >> > group of museums and research centers administered by the Government >> of >> > the >> > United States. The Warren M. Robbins Library of the National Museum >> of >> > African Art >> > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Museum_of_African_Art> is >> > looking for a Wikipedian in Residence that can focus on modern >> African >> > art >> > and artists. >> > - *The University of Pittsburgh >> > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Pittsburgh>* (PITT) is >> a >> > state-related research university in Pittsburgh >> > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh>, Pennsylvania. This >> Visiting >> > Scholar position will work with PITT’s Archives Service Center, >> Special >> > Collections and Center for American Music to focus on: Pittsburgh and >> > Pennsylvanian history including urban renewal in Pittsburgh, >> childhood >> > in >> > the industrial era of Pittsburgh, music composers of Pittsburgh, >> > Pittsburgh >> > theater or significant literary figures from Pittsburgh; Colonial >> > American >> > history; historic American songs; or philosophy of science. >> > - *The University of Washington >> > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Washington>* (UW), >> > commonly >> > referred to as Washington or, informally, UDub, is a public research >> > university in Seattle <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle>, >> > Washington. This Visiting Scholar position will work with UW’s >> Special >> > Collections and focus on labor and the working classes in the Pacific >> > Northwest, all aspects of Pacific Northwest history and literature, >> and >> > Pacific Northwest architecture. >> > >> > >> > Full application information is available at the Wiki Education >> Foundation >> > signup page <http://wikiedu.org/visitingscholars/apply/>.< >> > http://wikiedu.org/visitingscholars/apply/> >> > >> > Wiki Ed also invites editors to apply for a Visiting Scholar placement >> > pool. The pool will help grow the Visiting Scholar program by creating a >> > list of willing and interested candidates to offer to new partner >> > libraries. With the interests and needs of pre-qualified Wikipedians in >> > hand, Wiki Ed can work to find libraries that match your interests. >> > >> > Access to research libraries as part of one of these visiting scholar >> > positions creates considerable opportunities for Wikipedia editors. It >> > allows them access to services and tools, including multiple paywalled >> > databases, integrated search and discovery tools, research collections >> and >> > recommendations from specialist librarians, and expert consultation. In >> > return, editors can begin a conversation with the library, which creates >> > opportunities for greater understanding and communication between these >> > universities and the wider Wikipedia community. >> > >> > *The Wikipedia Library* >> > _______________________________________________ >> > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: >> > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines >> > [email protected] >> > < >> > >> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/[email protected] >> > > >> > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, >> > <mailto:[email protected]?subject=unsubscribe> >> > _______________________________________________ >> > Wikimedia-Cascadia mailing list >> > [email protected] >> > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-cascadia >> > >> _______________________________________________ >> Wikimedia-Cascadia mailing list >> [email protected] >> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-cascadia >> > > > > -- > Eryk Salvaggio > Communications Associate > Wiki Education Foundation > > [email protected] > User:Eryk (Wiki Ed) <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Eryk_(Wiki_Ed)> > @WikiEducation <https://twitter.com/WikiEducation> > wikiedu.org > > *Our organization supports the Wikipedia Education Program in the United > States and Canada.* > -- Ryan McGrady Community Engagement Manager Wiki Education Foundation [email protected] User:Ryan (Wiki Ed) <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Ryan+(Wiki+Ed)> wikiedu.org *Our organization supports Visiting Scholars and the Wikipedia Education Program in the United States and Canada.* _______________________________________________ Wikipedia-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikipedia-l
