Wikipedia talk:Meetup/Chicago 8

Announcements

8/19: Hey folks, so I will be planning the Wikipedia Loves Libraries event for this year. Tentatively, I would like us to plan on working on a small number of articles that we can push to GA-status. We can use the next several weeks to discuss what those articles might be. I am also thinking about doing a brief primer for editors on using historical archives, which I've had some experience using over the past year and are available at each of the below libraries. There are three possible venues I'm considering, and I will be selecting one rather soon, so if you have any preferences on either a date or location, please let me know ASAP:

And the possible dates:

October 5th
October 12th
October 19th
October 26th

If any of these definitely do not work and you are interested in coming for an edit-a-thon, please let me know below. I'll also take this opportunity to ping those who came to the Great American Wikinc from this year and others to get your input:

This will be the first event I've hosted, and I am excited to meet and work with many of you. October can't come soon enough! I, Jethrobot ^{drop me a line} (note: not a bot!) 07:41, 19 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

This sounds great. Harold Washington Library may be easiest to get to, as all Chicago Transit Authority train lines run through the loop. Since Pritzker is a library that requires a membership, it might be more difficult to plan an event there, but I have no first hand experience with this. Sulzer Regional Library is a great venue and would have parking available, but is slightly more difficult to get to using public transit. That's my 2. PMChi (talk) 14:58, 19 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Actually, it seems that the Pritzker is interested in hosting us, and so I plan on speaking to their director about whether that fee can be waived or reduced for editors interested in this particular event. Sulzer is actually not too bad for folks using public transportation, because it's a less-than 10 min. walk along Lincoln from the Western (CTA Brown Line station), and ~~the Lincoln Bus stops~~ several buses like the Montrose, Damen, and Western all have fairly close stops. We'll see how it develops. I, Jethrobot ^{drop me a line} (note: not a bot!) 15:15, 19 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Cool, their support would be great. Thanks for planning this, I Jethrobot (talk · contribs). PMChi (talk) 15:29, 19 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

I'm up for participating at any of those locations, though I'm not sure exactly what one of these shindigs entails. The 5th, 12th, and 26th work best for me. Nick Number (talk) 03:36, 21 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

8/20: Hey folks-- looks like Keilana (talk · contribs) and I are heading to Pritzker tomorrow morning. In addition to doing some GLAM work, we'll be seeing if they are interested in hosting us and what the details are in regards to fees. I, Jethrobot ^{drop me a line} (note: not a bot!) 03:48, 21 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]
One of us will post here with either a call for other locations or details of a WLL event at the Pritzker. :) Keilana|^{Parlez ici} 04:37, 21 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]
8/21: Keilana (talk · contribs) and I finished up at the Pritzker this afternoon. We met with the Chief Librarian, TeriEmbrey (talk · contribs)-- feel free to say hi and introduce yourself! While we had a very productive discussion, I was unable to meet the appropriate staff in order to establish a date for the WLL event. However, there is viable interest in hosting us for the event, and I have contacted the appropriate staff in order to begin this discussion. Will update as information becomes available, but so far, the Pritzker is a likely venue. I, Jethrobot ^{drop me a line} (note: not a bot!) 22:08, 21 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]
8/23: Will be discussing setting a date for the event on Monday (8/26) with Pritzker's Director of External Affairs. Expect a specific date and details by then! I, Jethrobot ^{drop me a line} (note: not a bot!) 14:55, 23 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]
8/28: After speaking with the library's external coordinator, we have a date set for Saturday, October 26th. This will be an all-day event from 10AM when the Pritzker opens to closing at 5 PM, but do not feel obligated to come for the whole duration-- come when you are able, and feel free to leave when you need to. I was able to negotiate waiving of fees for the event as well. They have also offered to give us a free tour, which will not only be fun, but will help us figure out where to locate resources for our edit-a-thon. So, come one, come all! Join me for fun times at the Pritzker. I, JethroBT ^{drop me a line} 19:55, 27 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

preparations

A few questions from someone who hasn't attended a WLL event before:

Do we know what articles we're going to be working on during the edit-a-thon? Should we be compiling a list of possibilities ahead of time?
How is the workshop going to work? Are we just going to take questions from library visitors and walk them through creating accounts and making edits and such? Or should we be preparing a scripted presentation?
Are there any other preparations which should be made before Saturday? Nick Number (talk) 16:45, 22 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Hey Nick. To respond to your questions...

Yes, there will be a few articles that I'm planning for us to focus on creating and improving. There's a large list at WP:GLAM/Pritzker. I'll speak with folks at the Pritzker see what they might be interested in. (TeriEmbrey, you can chime with any suggestions if you'd like, too.) As it is a library focused on military-related topics, many of the articles will likely be in that domain, though I think some general Chicago-based articles would be appropriate as well.
I think perhaps just 2-4 of us will be necessary to run a workshop, which I'd like to focus on 1) Making an account, 2) the basics of editing articles, and 3) interacting with the community. If you'd like to help, you're welcome to, but it's certainly not required. I'm not sure how many editors are interested in participating in the workshop (some might be newer), and I don't know how many patrons will be participating in the event just now. It might be the kind of thing we'll have to play by ear and see who shows up. I have some materials on account creation that can be passed out. The other topics I'm looking around to see if there any resources, but I feel comfortable playing this one by ear based on who our audience is, so I don't think a rote script will be necessary. The thing I'm still considering is what time to hold the workshop...I'm thinking around either just before lunch (e.g. around 11:15-11:30) or just after (1:00 - 1:15). I don't want to do it at the very beginning because I'm pretty sure not everyone will be there to start.
I've been taking care of prep work with the library, so I think we are covered there. TeriEmbrey-- do we have a specific room reserved for us as a hub, so we have a place to meet, plan, and coordinate editing? I, JethroBT ^{drop me a line} 17:14, 22 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]

I will reserve the reading room for the group. TeriEmbrey (talk) 17:43, 22 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Aftermath

Inspired by our work on Saturday, I give you Cottage Cheese: A Vandal's History.
Unfortunately this post probably runs afoul of WP:CCPOV. Nick Number (talk) 14:05, 30 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]

I can't even express in words how happy this makes me! :D Keilana|^{Parlez ici} 15:38, 30 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Agreed. I officially lost it at "also known as 'Wulgh!!!'" I, JethroBT ^{drop me a line} 15:46, 30 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]