Five things a Wikipedian in residence can do
Hey you—yeah you, the Wikipedian! Do you want to help a museum, a library, a university, or other organization explore ways to engage with Wikipedia? Great—you should offer your expertise as a Wikipedian in residence!
The Wikipedian in residence concept was proposed by Geoff Burling in 2006. Liam Wyatt was the first to make it happen when, in 2010, he persuaded the British Museum to bring him on, to help their curators get to know Wikipedia and its volunteer community, and explore opportunities. Individual outreach to organizations remains a great way to earn a Residency, but these days, you will also find job postings all over the world from organizations that are already on board with the idea.
If you find yourself in such a role, you will have opportunities to help your host organization share knowledge in new and exciting ways; and to help Wikipedia readers and editors around the world benefit directly from the expertise and institutional knowledge your host possesses.
Your role is that of a connector and a facilitator; you should aim to empower those around you (both the staff of your host organization, and Wikipedia volunteers who share the organization's interests). (If you find your host is approaching it as a paid editing program, you should proceed with caution; you might want to point them at this Signpost article: Foundation-supported Wikipedian in residence faces scrutiny.)
So what can you do to get off to a good start? Here are a few ideas. (Past and present Wikipedians in Residence, please add your own ideas and lessons in the comments!)
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