2024 Partner Projects Announced
Wikimedia Australia is delighted to announce the successful awarding of four grants to partner organisations, fostering collaboration and closing knowledge gaps. These initiatives will fund four Wikimedians in Residence (WiR) at four diverse organisations, enabling them to connect with and leverage unique information, enriching our collective knowledge. These residents will actively share and cultivate skills within Wikipedia and other Wiki platforms, contributing to community growth. Join us in congratulating these grant winners, and stay tuned for exciting updates as they embark on their transformative residencies!
ANZSI Wikimedian in Residence
This project will establish Mary Coe as the first Wikimedian in Residence at the Australian and New Zealand Society of Indexers (ANZSI). Support for the project will be provided by the School of Information and Communication Studies at Charles Sturt University (CSU SICS).
Mary will focus on identifying and filling gaps in library and information science (LIS)-related content (including book indexing) on Wikipedia, Wikidata and other Wikimedia platforms. Her background as an information professional and connections with both organisations will enable her to tap into the resources needed for this work. She is a book indexer, metadata specialist, Editor of the journal The Indexer: The International Journal of Indexing and an Adjunct Lecturer at CSU SICS.
Capacity building is a major goal of this project, and the role of the WiR will be primarily to provide opportunities for ANZSI members (professional indexers) and CSU SICS (information studies/librarianship) students to develop their skills and confidence in Wiki editing.
Mary will provide training on the Wikipedia and Wikidata platforms and run editathons with them. The majority of ANZSI members and CSU SICS students are female and addressing the gender gap in Wikimedia work will be a secondary benefit of this project. Read more about the project.
EPA Wikimedian in Residence
Olivia Fougerais will work with the resources available at the Environmental Protection Agency Victoria to expand Australian environmental knowledge on Wikipedia. Their work will include adding new references and information to Victorian and Australian pages as well as creating new Wikipedia articles and writing blog posts. Editathons will also be provided to raise community awareness of environmental issues unique to Australia. View the project page to learn more.
Environment Centre NT Wikipedian in Residence
This project will be delivered with Northern Territory-based Wikipedian Caddie Brain at the Environment Centre NT in Darwin.
There are significant gaps in terms of the NT’s ecology, ecosystems, environmental assets, controversies and key project information on Wikipedia. This project will focus on updating and growing the NT’s environmental pages including plants, animals, ecosystems, major projects, and key players, as well as looking to build First Nations representation on Wikimedia platforms in a self-determined way. Read more about the project.
Victorian Field Naturalist Clubs with the Biodiversity Heritage Library
This project will be coordinated by Nicole Kearney from the Biodiversity Heritage Library, along with a Wikimedian in Residence. It will gather the rich social and natural histories of Victoria’s regional Field Naturalists Clubs and make them freely accessible and discoverable on Wikipedia, Wikidata, and Wikimedia Commons and linking the above elements to each other and to the websites and publications of each organisation. This will build on existing work taking place thanks to a grant from the Public Record Office of Victoria Local History Grant to the Biodiversity Heritage Library to digitise the publications of Victoria’s Field Naturalists’ Clubs. The funding from Wikimedia Australia will expand this project to include the gathering of photographs and stories, and the creation of the connected hub of knowledge.
Wikimedia Australia aims to support collaborative initiatives that build skills and prioritise under-represented communities information. Together we are committed to fostering inclusivity, amplifying diverse voices, and building a more equitable and interconnected Wikimedia community. View the project page to learn more.