Wikipedia:WikipediaSpace

Banner exhibit being installed at the National Archives in October 2015

Wikipedia Space (more recently updated to Wikimedia Space) is a project to create physical learning spaces to promote the use of open content technologies such as Wikipedia and Wikimedia projects, aimed at cultural professionals in the GLAM sector (galleries, libraries, archives, and museums). (This is not to be confused with m:Wikimedia Space, a now-defunct online forum that existed from 2019-2020.)

The design and implementation of a persistent physical presence is an evolution of the current popular form of face-to-face engagement – the Wikipedia edit-a-thon.

Wikimedia Space 2.0 (2022)

In 2022, Andrew Lih was asked to create an exhibition for the Chautauqua Institution Summer Institute to teach lifelong learners and attendees about Wikipedia, to be shown on July 20, 2022. This led to thinking about how Wikipedia Space from 2015 could be expanded to include interactive multimedia elements. With the higher quality and lower price of video projection hardware, he designed an expanded self-guided space with projected content and QR-code scannable examples to show a range of Wikimedia projects beyond Wikipedia, including Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons.

The physical configuration for the exhibition design was roughly 10x10 meters, in a library space with tables. A full schematic can be seen on a Google Drawing (included snapshot below).

The design as of July 2022 includes:

Five original pull-up banners from Wikipedia Space
A projection screen showing the Wikimedia sizzle reel video from 2018 (https://vimeo.com/296168439)
A projection screen showing/playing audio from Listen to Wikipedia (https://listen.hatnote.com)
A table full of scannable QR codes so people can interact with Wikimedia content on their mobile devices.
- The four examples currently include a Wikidata knowledge graph, 360 photospheres, the Wikimedia Stats site, and how to download the mobile apps. The design of those QR scannable displays is in a Google Drawing Doc, and feedback is welcome and appreciated.

Wikimedia Space 2.0

Wikimedia Space physical configuration at Chautauqua Institution, Smith Memorial Library.
Wikimedia Space flyer designs.
11x17 sign for Listen to Wikipedia
US Letter sized signs with QR codes
Original pull-up banners re-used in this space

Suggestions and links for more scannable content are welcome. Some ideas:
- - Commons Pictures of the Year (link?)
  - Top 25 Report of the most read articles (https://top.hatnote.com/ or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Top_25_Report)
  - WikiShootMe for contributing photos (https://wikishootme.toolforge.org/)

Pilot program (2015)

The pilot program is being staged at the Innovation Hub at the US National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C., where an exhibit about Wikipedia and Wikimedia is being implemented in a space that allows citizen archivists to scan and upload content. The hope is that experiences with the pilot can help understand how this approach can be replicated in other spaces, such as libraries, museums, universities and classrooms.

The project was created in conjunction with the US National Archives and Records Administration, the Smithsonian Institution and support from the Knight Foundation.

Principals: Andrew Lih, Dominic Byrd-McDevitt, James Hare, Sara Snyder, Phoebe Ayers

Timeline

Feb 10, 2015 - Knight Grant awarded
March 3, 2015 - Full-size paper prototypes of banner exhibits started with American University students
March 16, 2015 - Visit to empty NARA Innovation Hub, Dominic, Andrew, Dina Herbert (Innovation Hub manager)
March 24, 2015 - Digital drafts of banner exhibits started with American University students
March 31, 2015 - Digital drafts printed out and assembled and viewed full-size at National Museum of the American Indian
September 15, 2015 - Final drafts of posters sent around for feedback
October 8, 2015 - Vinyl banners installed at National Archives
October 9, 2015 - Exhibit shown to public at National Archives, McGowan Theater lobby area during Wikiconference USA 2015 (version 1)
Other uses
- February 20, 2016 - Smithsonian American Art Museum, Black Artists Edit-a-thon
- March 2, 2016 - Florida Library Association annual conference, Daytona Beach, Florida, March 2, 2016
- July 9, 2016 - Smithsonian American Art Museum, Democracy and American Art Edit-a-Thon
- August 12, 2016 - Used at the United Nations United Nations Women Edit-a-thon #Herstory and International Youth Day (version 3)
- August 16, 2016 - Used at the Wikipedia booth at the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, World Library Information Congress in Columbus, Ohio (version 2)
- August 21, 2016 - American Chemical Society [1] (planned) (version 3)
- October 7–10, 2016 - WikiConference North America, Balboa Park culture crawl and the San Diego Public Library, San Diego, California
- November 16, 2016 - Art + Feminism, University of Maryland
- December 8, 2016 - BBC 100 Women edit-a-thon in Washington, D.C.
- December 9, 2016 - United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- March 2, 2017 - Women in Science and Engineering at MITRE, Virginia
- March 25, 2017 - Art and Feminism, Smithsonian American Art Museum
- April 7, 2017 - Congressional Committees and Hearings Wikipedia Edit-a-thon, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
- May 10-12, 2017 - Society of Florida Archivists annual conference, St. Petersburg, Florida
- May 12, 2017 - Association of Centers for the Study of Congress talk, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
- June 2, 2017 - NEFLIN (Northeast Florida Library Information Network) Technology Conference, St. Augustine, Florida
- June 3, 2017 - Women in Media and Politics Wikipedia Edit-a-thon, National Democratic Institute, Washington, D.C.

Posters

There have been three versions of the banner:

Version 1 - Designed as a pull-up banner for aluminum frame
Version 2 - Designed for a bamboo X-frame, for more portable use and for easier shippping. Same graphics as version 1. Because X-frames are taller, the text sat a bit higher than eye-level for a 5 foot, 7 inch average height person.
Version 3 - Same use as version 2, but redesigned so that text sits lower on the X-frame, and headlines written to be bigger.

Each of the posters can be described by a six word summary:

Introducing - Wikipedia, part of larger Wikimedia movement
Editing - Anyone can edit, with simple markup
Commons - Only "free" content can be uploaded
Trust - Signals to interpret trustworthiness of Wikipedia
Collaboration - Wikipedia working with world class partners

Wikipedia Space exhibit, version 1, October 2015,
Displays for Wikipedia Space at the National Archives, by Andrew Lih, et al.

Overview of Wikipedia
Overview of editing in Wikipedia
Wikimedia Commons explained
Trust and reliability of Wikipedia
GLAM and collaboration with Wikipedia

New ideas

Ideas for more posters

/The Wikipedia Library
/National Archives
/Medicine
/Video and multimedia
/Wikidata
/Notability - help with edit-a-thons where many articles are deleted

Feedback and discussion

Please feel free to use the Talk page to leave feedback or note corrections

Photos

Wikipedia Space exhibit launch, October 9, 2015 and other installations
Pull-up banners at the National Archives
NARA staff talking about Innovation Hub, where Wikipedia Space exhibit will be
Archivist David Ferriero and the Wikipedia Space exhibit
Wikipedia Space posters greeting visitors at the National Archives Innovation Hub
Wikipedia Space posters at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, ahead of the Black Artists edit-a-thon, February 19, 2016
Setup, February 19, 2016
Setup, February 19, 2016
Setup, February 19, 2016
Setup, February 19, 2016
Setup, February 19, 2016
Setup, February 19, 2016
Setup, February 19, 2016
Posters at the Florida Library Association annual conference, Daytona Beach, Florida, March 2, 2016
UN #herstory Editathon 2016 at the United Nations in New York City, August 12
UN #herstory Editathon 2016 at the United Nations in New York City, August 12
At the IFLA World Library and Information Congress 2016, Abe Lincoln re-enactor looking at Wikipedia Space exhibit, August 16
At the American Chemical Society conference in Philadelphia, August 22
Wikiconference North America, Balboa Park Wiki Culture Crawl, October 7. 2016
Wikiconference North America, October 10, 2016
University of Maryland, Art + Feminism, November 16, 2016
BBC 100 Women edit-a-thon in Washington, D.C., December 8, 2016
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, December 9, 2016
Women in Science and Engineering at MITRE, March 2, 2017
Smithsonian American Art Museum - Art and Feminism 2017 Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon Wikipedia:Meetup/DC/SAAM_Art_and_Feminism_2017
Wikimedia DC members Kelly Doyle, Rosie Stephenson-Goodknight and Andrew Lih gave a presentation at the Library of Congress for the Association of Centers for the Study of Congress regarding Wikipedia and Civic Engagement. May 12, 2017
Women in Media and Politics edit-a-thon, National Democratic Institute, Washington, D.C., June 3, 2017

External links

Knight Foundation Prototype grant awarded - Feb 10, 2015