Wikipedia:Meetup/Wellington/Archives NZ

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"Archives NZ Wikipedia Edit-a-thon2019: NZ Through a Government Lens"

What's it about?[edit]

Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga is the official guardian of New Zealand’s public archives. We gather, store and protect a wide range of material, including the originals of the Treaty of Waitangi, government documents, maps, paintings, photographs and film. This is our first step into the world of Wikipedia, and we're seeking help to improve and create articles relating to New Zealand history. We have tons of digitised material that you can use, but you may not be aware that it's there. Our records are primary source so how we use with Wikipedia may not be the same as other institutions – this is why we need your help! Complete beginners are welcome – all you need to bring is a laptop.

When and where?[edit]

  • Date: Sunday, 7 July, 2019
  • Time: 10:30 am – 3:00 pm
  • Address: Archives New Zealand, 10 Mulgrave Street, Pipitea, Wellington
  • Location: Single File café on ground floor of the building (the café will be closed)
  • Cost: Free


  • A staff member will let you in and out.
  • No archives will be available: we'll be using reproductions, digitised material, and online sources.

To attend[edit]

  • Add your Wikipedia username in the "Attending in-person" section below.
  • Bring ID such as a driver’s license, bank-issued card, student ID, Community Services Card etc — this is for security purposes, so we know who is in the building in case of emergency.
  • This workshop will be following "friendly space" guidelines; check them out. Harassment and disruption won't be tolerated, online or offline.

People[edit]

Attending in-person[edit]

  1. Giantflightlessbirds (Wikipedian and helper)
  2. Digipres
  3. MagicPie97
  4. Ambrosia10
  5. David Nind
  6. Smudgley
  7. Tapophilekarori
  8. ScreamingFemale
  9. Einebillion
  10. Kākāriki
  11. Gertrude206
  12. Noracrentiss
  13. Hazel_dirty-blonde_hair
  14. Kojack-ten
  15. Mackheat
  16. Pippipip
  17. TomCa
  18. Barbara
  19. Barbuliscious

Attending remotely[edit]

  1. DrThneed

Plan for the day[edit]

  • 10:30: Meet and greet, introductions, name lanyards
  • 10:45: Introduction to Wikipedia for newcomers
  • 11:30: Hands-on editing: creating a user page, adding a photo, adding a reference
  • 12:00: Break
  • 12:30: Discussion on topics Archives NZ can support: e.g.
    • NZ Railways
    • Military (NZ Wars, WWI, WWII)
    • Royal visits to NZ
    • Disasters in NZ
    • Improving articles on NZ women and the 1893 Suffrage Petition
    • Improving the Archives NZ Wikipedia page
  • 1:00: Sort out projects and start editing! Experienced Wikipedians will be there to help
  • 2:00: Tea break
  • 3:00: Wrap up edits for the day, note down everything accomplished, group photo, evaluation, and next steps

What to bring?[edit]

  • Laptop and power cord. The venue has good wifi. There may be a spare laptop for people to use, but bring your own computer if you can.
  • Any snacks or drink you want – some nibbles will be provided. Food and drink are only allowed in the café area.
  • Any resources such as books, journals, magazine or newspaper articles you can cite in conjunction with our primary source material.

Preparation[edit]

  1. If you're coming, try to create a Wikipedia account beforehand: don't wait until the day to do it! Here's a form you can use if you like. Creating an account makes editing much easier - here's more info on why you should. You'll need to pick a "handle" for your username; you could use your real name, but it's nice to have the option to be a bit anonymous if you want. Here's some advice on picking a username.
  2. The more you prepare, the more you'll be able to get done. You may want to read up on avoiding common mistakes, but Wikipedia has a "don't bite the newbies" policy, and we'll be there to troubleshoot.
  3. Have a think about topics you'd like to work on; do a little research first so you're prepared. You don't have to be an expert; anyone who can do library research and write clearly can help improve Wikipedia. The best candidates for Wikipedia articles are people or places who are "notable". In Wikipedia terms, "notable" people usually means they're been covered in a number of reliable independent sources, such as news, books, authoritative websites, or magazine interviews. If you're proposing to create to Wikipedia article it's important to make sure your subject is "notable"; talk to us if you're not sure – we can help.

Useful[edit]

To work on[edit]

A checklist of things one can do to improve the Wikipedia, Wikidata, and WikiCommons coverage of any heritage institution (like Archives NZ). Anyone keen is welcome to work their way through this list.

School Journal artists[edit]

bit.ly/ArchivesNZArtists2019
This document created by Siobhan Ambrosia10 has a workflow, examples and resources for Wikidata/Wikipedia editing about artists whose work is held by Archives New Zealand.

Wikidata item for referencing in Wikidata[edit]

  • Q65088632 - edition of A nest of singing birds
  • Q65089111 - edition of School Journal Catalogue 1965-85

Updating articles on NZ History, Geography and Politicians[edit]

Flickr Albums of Curated material[edit]

Outcomes[edit]

Feedback: Ten attendees gave feedback; three of them were experienced editors, the rest were beginners: new to Wikipedia or had only edited a little.

Nine declared that Wikipedia is great and they would come to another such edit-a-thon. Six said they were more positive about Wikipedia, and four of the beginning editors saidnthey were now more or much more likely to edit it.

The only complaints were about the poor venue WiFi, which delayed getting started.

Added wikidata for:

Created wikidata for:


Participants 18
Bytes changed +22,352
Pages created 1
Views to pages created 90
Pages improved 18
Avg. daily views to pages improved 493
Uploaded files 29
Unique pages with uploaded files 4
Avg. daily views to uploaded files 163
Wikidata items created 10
Wikidata items improved 28

Media[edit]

We'll be taking photos for the record, and these will go up on the event page. If you don't want to be in a photo, just choose a red name lanyard; if you don't mind, pick a green one.


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