Wikidata:WikiProject Te Papa Research Expeditions

WikiProject Te Papa Research Expeditions

About WikiProject Te Papa Research Expeditions

User:Ambrosia10 has obtained funding support from Wikimedia Aotearoa New Zealand to undertake a residency at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa to support the running of a 12 week WikiProject on Te Papa research expeditions.

The aim of this project is to trial the current research expeditions schema proposed by the Wikidata WikiProject Research Expeditions by creating or enriching Wikidata with data on research expeditions undertaken by Te Papa/ Dominion Museum/Colonial Museum and institutional staff while employed at the museum.

The intention is to ensure these research expedition items are, where possible, richly interlinked with data such as the participants, the location information, and institutions that house objects collected during the expedition and publications, archives and artworks generated during or as a result of the expedition. Any issues raised during this project will be discussed with both interested staff at Te Papa as well as WikiProject Research Expedition participants and the wider Wikidata and Biodiversity community. These discussions will aim to improve the schema as well as elicit recommendations for best practice when implementing the schema. The plan is to resolve as many issues as possible prior to the WikiProject and the TDWG Research Expeditions working group publishing recommendations and/or a Biodiversity Information Standards TDWG data standard guiding other institutions when undertaking similar Wiki work. See the discussion page of the WikiProject Research Expeditions for examples of issues that are currently under debate. The outcomes of Te Papa WikiProject Research Expeditions will in this way assist with the generation of best practice documentation anticipated to be generated by the TDWG Research Expeditions Working Group.

Information on the practical issues raised when undertaking and implementing the WikiProject Te Papa Research Expeditions will also be obtained. It is intended that a report will be created at the end of this project to ensure this implementation information is fed back to both the WikiProject Research Expeditions community and to the TDWG working group to assist other institutions who may be interested in undertaking similar projects. This report will be shared with not just be the Wikimedia community and Te Papa staff but also with other New Zealand based as well as international natural history institutions to help guide Wikimedians or institutions should they choose to undertake a similar project.

During the project User:Ambrosia10 will also work with the internal Te Papa wiki group giving a presentation to them on the project, the schema and will assist in training the participants of that group in creating or enriching Research Expedition items. She will also be working closely with the Te Papa digital outreach manager to judge whether it is appropriate and if so help facilitate Te Papa in making use of the generated Wikidata QIDs in Te Papa's collection management system.

Finally it is intended that near or at the end of the project a public facing editathon event on Research Expeditions will also be held.

Participants

User:Ambrosia10 - Wikimedian in Residence
User:Avocadobabygirl - Te Papa Digital Channels Outreach manager

Final Report

The final report for this project has been published to Zenodo.

Funding acknowledgement

Wikimedia Aotearoa New Zealand is providing funding to the organiser Ambrosia10 to undertake this WikiProject, to engage with and train Te Papa staff as well as other interested participants and to report on the outcomes of this WikiProject, to produce documentation giving guidance on replicating this WikiProject at other institutions, and to liaise with other interested parties including the participants of the Wikidata WikiProject Research Expeditions and the Biodiversity Information Standards working group on research expeditions to assist with the production of best practice guidelines for adding research expedition data to Wikidata based on the experience and outcomes of this WikiProject.