Science Museum Late
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This is an unusual and high-profile event, giving us the chance to interact with many thousand people[1], almost all of whom will use our projects quite a lot, but who have never thought of contributing.It will be a fantastic opportunity to engage with the public, to encourage them to see Wikipedia and related projects not just as a resource to be consumed, but something that they too can help shape.
We still need volunteers! Especially volunteers wearing Wikipedia T shirts who can answer questions about Wikipedia.
Details
- Venue: The Science Museum, Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London SW7 2DD. Come to the group entrance; there will be long queues at the main entrance.
- Date: Wednesday 26 November 2014.
- Time: We'll be setting up at the Science Museum from 17:30; please arrive then if you can, as there will be plenty of jobs to do. The Late itself runs from 18:45 - 22:00 and we will have two shifts (18:45 - 20:30, 20:15 - 21:45). Volunteers will be needed to arrive by 18:20 at the latest for the first shift or by 19:50 at the latest if only doing the second shift.
- Point of contact: This talk page, but be aware that it might not be checked after mid-afternoon on the day. If you need help on the evening, phone Roberta on 07541 642 251.
- Cost: WMUK will cover all travel expenses for volunteers within London (and if you need childcare that night, please contact Roberta Wedge on roberta.wedge@wikimedia.org.uk)
- Sign up information: Sign up on this page or drop a line to Mary's talk page
- Twitter hashtag: #SMLates
- Briefing notes: Please read the full briefing information here
About the event
The Lates at the Science Museum are held on the last Wednesday of the month. Admission is free, although some events may require a ticket, and the evening is limited to adults only (18+). In practice, most of the 5000 attendees are under 35, with an even split of men and women. The Late on the 26 November, for which Wikimedia UK is running a few events, is based around the museum's new gallery, The Information Age. These monthly events are a fun and unique way to spend an evening 'drinking and thinking'.
Wikimedia's involvement
Wikimedia UK will be hosting the following events at the Late:
- Sharing the Information Age
- Talk: Medical Information in the Digital Age
- Listen to Wikipedia
- Your Voice on Wikipedia!
- Crowdsourcing Found Poetry
- Wikipedia Survey
In addition, Wikimedia UK will be contributing to some of the Science Museum's regular events, such as the Pub Quiz and the Punk Science Game Show, using some fun (and verifiable) facts from this page.
Most of the events will require volunteers. Please express your interest below the event descriptions - note that you can sign up for more than one as volunteers will be working in shifts so that you don't have to be stationed in one place all night. We had a briefing session on Wednesday 19 November from 6pm-7pm at Wikimedia UK (4th Floor of Development House, 56-64 Leonard St London EC2A 4LT). Some people attended by Skype. If you missed it, and want briefing info, please email Roberta Wedge (roberta.wedge@wikimedia.org.uk).
Sharing the Information Age
Visitors will take photographs of objects in the new Information Age gallery and volunteers will show them how to upload these images onto Wikimedia Commons in the category commons:Category:Science_Museum_Late_(Information_Age). This event will go on throughout the night.
It is important that volunteers know how to upload images onto Wikimedia Commons and are willing to explain this skill to others.
Volunteers: (Please sign up here)
- commons admin.Geni (talk) 21:02, 3 November 2014 (GMT)
- Familiar with the history of information technology and uploading images. Andrew Davidson (talk) 13:41, 15 November 2014 (GMT)
- When not doing questionnaires etc Johnbod (talk) 00:17, 25 November 2014 (GMT)
Talk: Medical Information in the Digital Age
This talk from Wikipedian Dr Jacob de Wolff will focus on the role of free online resources in medicine, with particular consideration of the modern phenomenon of self-diagnosis. It will cover the importance of accurate information, and the function of projects such as WikiProject Medicine in achieving this. The talk will run three times throughout the night.
Stewarding for this event will be done by Science Museum staff.
Volunteer
- Bondegezou (talk) 18:25, 25 November 2014 (GMT)
Listen to Wikipedia
This event is a visual and auditory display in a quiet room, where every edit is a bell and every circle is a new edit. Visitors are invited to come and observe real-time contributions on a vast variety of topics by users all over the world. The visualisation can be viewed here . This event will be continuous throughout the night.
Stewarding will be largely done by the Science Museum staff but at least one Wikimedia volunteer will be needed to be on hand to answer questions.
Volunteers: (Please sign up here)
- John of Reading (talk) 08:07, 23 November 2014 (GMT)
Your Voice on Wikipedia!
Inspired by the aims of WikiProject Spoken Wikipedia, WMUK are hosting this event to introduce participants to the idea of recorded Wikipedia articles. Visitors will have the chance to read and record the ledes of selected articles, themed to connect with science and the information age. These recordings will later be uploaded to improve resources for people with reading difficulties or visual impairments. The event will be continuous, and will operate one guest (or one pair or trio) at a time. Those queuing outside the recording studio will have the chance to be video-recorded by a team from WikiReadings, an independent art project that got in touch with WMUK.
On the night, volunteers will be required to assist visitors with the recording process. Expertise is not necessary, but anyone active on the WikiProject is especially welcome.
Lead Volunteer: Arthur goes shopping (talk) 14:38, 13 November 2014 (GMT)
Extra Volunteers: (Please sign up here)
Crowdsourcing Found Poetry
Participants will write their own poetry using excerpts from quirky Wikipedia articles we've chosen. They will be encouraged in this by one of WMUK's most amusing volunteers, Dr Martin Poulter (User:MartinPoulter). Then their assembled poems will be read out by an actor (provided by the Science Museum: we're hoping for Marie Curie). The event will be continuous throughout the night, with a new start every 40 minutes.
On the night, volunteers will be required to supervise the event and assist visitors.
Lead Volunteer: Dr Martin Poulter
Extra Volunteers: (Please sign up here)
- Zara Clarke
Suggested articles:
Wikipedia Survey
We will be running a short survey over the night, using tablets loaded with around five questions (e.g. "Have you ever edited Wikipedia?"). We will need volunteers to conduct the survey, by going around and asking questions to guests in the queues. Each person who answers gets a sticker, so we don't bother them again.
No previous knowledge of wiki editing is assumed, although it is important that volunteers for this feel confident asking questions to the guests.
Volunteers: (Please sign up here)
- Filip Janczak
- The Land (talk)
- Thryduulf (talk: local | en.wp | en.wikt) 14:46, 10 November 2014 (GMT)
- Andrew Davidson (talk) I have my own tablet, if it helps.
- D'Arcy Myers
- This, or something else. Probably shift 1, maybe both. Johnbod (talk) 00:12, 25 November 2014 (GMT)
- Also, this, or something else. Probably shift 1, maybe both. Bondegezou (talk) 17:51, 25 November 2014 (GMT)
- I will be there for shift 1 and most probably 2. Edwardx (talk) 13:39, 26 November 2014 (GMT)
Results of the survey are summarised here.
Further information for volunteers
We held a briefing for volunteers on Wednesday 19 November, in our office, with some people joining in by Skype. Briefing packs were then sent out by email.
Please read the full briefing information here.
If you have any last-minute questions please ask them on this talk page.
The Science Museum has general background on its Lates, and a description of the November event.
References
- ↑ The Science Museum say they average 5000 visitors at each of these monthly events, but they are expecting 6000 for November - the Information Age gallery launch generated a lot of press.