Submissions:2016/Wiki Loves Heritage: The Case for a WMF Genealogical and Local History Wiki


 * Title: Wiki Loves Heritage: The Case for a WMF Genealogical and Local History Wiki


 * Theme: outreach?


 * Academic Peer Review option: Yes


 * Type of submission: Presentation


 * Author: Robert Fernandez


 * E-mail address: wikigamaliel@gmail.com


 * Username: Gamaliel


 * Affiliation: Wikimedia District of Columbia


 * Abstract: The genealogical and local history community is a large, active, computer literate group participating in a number of collaborative projects. Based on surveys and the academic literature (e.g. Duff and Johnson, Fulton, Yakel), this presentation will discuss patterns of information seeking and dissemination in this group and how they compare to those of Wikimedians. It will survey existing genealogical and local history projects that are wholly or partially collaborative, including Ancestry.com, Geni.com, Find a Grave, and USGenWeb and how those projects enable or inhibit collaborative information gathering and dissemination based on Wikimedia standards, with reference to research on how Wikipedia and Wikimedia projects have been successful while other similar projects have failed (esp. Hill).  It will present a potential WMF genealogical and local history designed to encourage collaborative, open access information gathering and dissemination that is specialized for the needs of these groups and designed to effectively interact with other WMF projects, especially Wikipedia, Wikidata, and Wikimedia Commons and make the case that such a project will draw the genealogical and local history community into the Wikimedia community to the benefit of both.


 * Duff, W., & Johnson, C. A. (2003). Where is the list with all the names? Information-seeking behavior of genealogists. American Archivist, 66(1), 79-95.
 * Fulton, C. (June 26, 2009). Quid Pro Quo: Information Sharing in Leisure Activities. Library Trends, 57, 4, 753-768.
 * Hill, B. M. (2013) Almost Wikipedia: Eight Early Encyclopedia Projects and the Mechanisms of Collective Action. In Hill, B. M., Essays on Volunteer Mobilization in Peer Production.  (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://mako.cc/academic/hill-almost_wikipedia-DRAFT.pdf
 * Yakel, E. (2004). Seeking information, seeking connections, seeking meaning: Genealogists and family historians. Information Research, 10(1), paper 205. Retrieved from http://informationr.net/ir/10-1/paper205.html


 * Length of presentation: 30-75 min. for workshops


 * Special schedule requests: Will be presenting powerpoint


 * Preferred room size: large


 * Will you attend WikiConference North America if your submission is not accepted?: Yes

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