Edit WCNA 2024 Session Submission: Submissions:2024/Universities and Wikimedia: Increasing Participation through Student-Run Efforts

Type of session
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Lightning talkLecture (15-30 min)Indepth Session (30-60 min)PanelRound TableWorkshopEdit-a-thonPlenaryLunch MeetupAfter-Hours Meetup

Session theme(s)
 Community Engagement  Community Health  Diversity & Inclusion  Education  GLAM (Galleries/Libraries/Archives/Museums)  Governance & Strategy  Legal & Advocacy  Open Data  Partnerships  Reliable Sources  Research  Technology  Wild Ideas

Abstract
Please describe your proposal. Aim for 100 to 300 words.
If you have any relevant webpages, slidedecks, etc., you may link them here.
Universities, as institutions whose goals are to further knowledge, are a natural place to look when seeking new institutional partnerships for the Wikimedia movement. They have access to vast resources, in terms of both libraries and people, which can help the Wikimedia movement’s goal of opening access to knowledge. Current efforts to collaborate with universities include efforts aimed at professors, such as the current Wiki Education initiatives. However, more can be done to leverage this potential to its full extent, especially by expanding the scope of student-run efforts. Successful student clubs already exist at some universities, but there are comparatively few examples in North America compared to elsewhere in the world. My experiences at the University of Rochester, both in being on leadership of clubs and in attending Wikimedia events hosted by the university library, illustrate how successful student-run efforts can be, as well as how different approaches are needed to engage university students. This session will go into what developing student Wikimedia communities can provide, some of the challenges faced in trying to build them, and strategies for long-term success. Slides for the presentation are located [https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1PqKqmkKhsoTF9mmE12hFFzdJC-y950tOd3z6CNvTDrs/edit#slide=id.g2cbe13544d8_17_0 here].

Author name(s)

Wikimedia username(s) (optional)

E-mail address
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Affiliated organization(s) (optional)
Your associated Wikimedia affiliate, organization, company, etc.

Would you be able to attend the conference if you do not receive a scholarship?
 Yes  No

Estimated length of session
Can be a specific number of minutes or a range, to help us slot sessions in the schedule.

Will you be presenting in-person or remotely?
 None  I will present in-person  I will present remotely

If available, would you be okay with your session being livestreamed?
 Yes, you may livestream my session  No, do not livestream my session

Have you presented on this topic previously? (optional)
If yes, where/when?

Any additional requirements or details you'd like the programming committee to know? (optional)
Let us know if you can only present on certain days, need certain equipment, accessibility needs, etc.