Wikipedia:Meetup/Boston/Northeastern OAMass15

=Event Details=

Interested in the history of activism? Want to learn some basics of creating new Wikipedia articles? Join us to increase Wikipedia's coverage of people, places, events, and organizations important to Massachusetts history and activism in the U.S., in honor of Open Access and Wikipedia Loves Libraries.

Northeastern's campus is near the Ruggles stop on the Orange Line or the Northeastern stop on the Green Line E Branch. More driving and parking directions are available here.

Please either RSVP below, or email the organizer so we know how many to expect.

If you are unfamiliar with Wikipedia, try this training module which will help explain a lot of things, including how to add your signature.

You can also sign up on the Meetup.com page.

About Us
Since 1998, the Northeastern University Archives and Special Collections Department locates, secures, and makes accessible the most important and at-risk historical records of Boston's African American, Chinese, GLBTQ, and Latino communities, preserving the records of Boston-area social justice organizations that serve under-represented communities. The Digital Scholarship Group, also part of the library, opened in January 2014 and develops new tools and methods in representation, analysis, and dissemination of scholarship, teaching researchers at all levels about those new techniques, while also strengthening Northeastern’s expertise in research methods that engage and question the effects of the digital medium on culture and communication

Schedule
If possible, create your Wikipedia account ahead of time. If you can't, that's not a problem:  we will help you at the Edit-a-thon. On the day of, you will just need to bring a laptop and power supply.

4:00-4:30pm: Check-in and welcome.

4:30-5:00pm: Beginner intro to Wikipedia editing for those that want it

5:00-7:45pm: Edit party!


 * Pizza somewhere in here.

7:45-8:00pm: Wrap-up and thanks

Logistics

 * Location and directions
 * Twitter: @ClubSnell or @Snell_Research
 * WiFi: Use NUWave-guest -- we will give out an access code in person
 * What to Bring: Attendees should bring their own laptops and power cords, and will need a photo ID to sign into the library. Just let the front desk staff know you are here for the edit-a-thon.
 * Contact the organizers: If you have questions ahead of time, contact Amanda Rust. For directions and help finding the building on the day of, call the library's Circulation Desk at (617) 373-8778.

=Sign Up and Guest List=

Attending

 * 1) AmandaRR123 (talk) 14:54, 16 October 2015 (UTC)
 * 2) Hjc24 (talk) 21:27, 28 October 2015 (UTC)
 * 3) Jennifleurr (talk) 21:30, 28 October 2015 (UTC)
 * 4) Kh68errl (talk) 21:46, 28 October 2015 (UTC)
 * 5) Emma.marie.p (talk) 28 October 2015 (UTC)
 * 6) Karen Merguerian
 * 7) Hollisrenee3 (talk) 28 October 2015 (UTC)
 * 8) Alex Lawton
 * 9) --AmsNU2015 (talk) 00:42, 29 October 2015 (UTC)
 * 10) Melissa Hom
 * 11) Ktoconnell

Regrets
=Suggested Topics= Suggested articles for improvement and new articles to create, focused on Massachusetts and U.S. activism, but of course you are not limited to this list! Developed with help from the Northeastern University Archives and Special Collections.

Articles to improve (Boston/MA history)
Expand on these articles, or add groups to Timeline of Boston.

Articles needing expansion

 * Ted Landsmark -- Could use expansion on his great deal of local work with the BRA and in educational arenas, as well as the importance of photo in reducing support for anti-busing movement.
 * Ruth Batson -- Much good content in need of re-organization and increased secondary sources.
 * La Alianza Hispana -- Article already has clear suggestions for improvement, including writing style, citation style, and types of sources cited. View guide to the records at Northeastern.
 * Roderick L. Ireland -- A stub-level article. First African-American justice appointed to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in its then 305-year history and its first African-American chief justice. Ireland retired from the Supreme Judicial Court in 2014.
 * Frieda Garcia -- A stub-level article. Hispanic activist and community leader in Boston. Garcia became the first director of La Alianza Hispana, an organization dedicated to the needs of lower income Hispanic families. In 1981 Garcia became the director of United South End Settlements. During her twenty year tenure at United South End Settlements she spearheaded programs centered on housing, literacy and job training. She recognized a need and opened the first open-access computer center in the city of Boston.
 * United South End Settlements -- An article that could use expansion in the history section with reference cleanup and more work incorporating secondary sources.
 * National Association of Black and White Men Together -- Umbrella organization of a group whose papers are held at Northeastern, could use additional secondary sources and expansion of history section.
 * Byron Rushing -- There are many additional newspaper sources on his work, needs expansion of personal life, career, and references section.
 * Bay State Banner -- Very stubby article on the major African-American newspaper in Boston. Expand with history, publication location, etc. Use The Chicago Defender, Los Angeles Times, and other newspaper articles as models.
 * Bay Windows -- Very stubby article on the major LGBTQ newspaper in Boston. Expand with history, publication location, etc. Use The Chicago Defender, Los Angeles Times, and other newspaper articles as models.
 * Boston Guild for the Hard of Hearing (1916-2003) provided services to people with hearing impairments, including lip reading classes and advocating for technologies to test and improve hearing. View guide to the records.
 * Chinese Progressive Association, a grassroots community organization, was founded in 1977 to provide Chinatown residents a forum for their concerns and a way to communicate their vision for the community to officials of the City of Boston and of the Commonwealth. The Association provides support for workers and immigrants, particularly new Asian immigrants, needing translation services or other support. View guide to the records.
 * Restore Our Alienated Rights (ROAR) -- A stub article with lots of clear suggestions for improvements, about the major group fighting against desegregation during the Boston busing desegregation in the 1970s.

New articles

 * John D. O'Bryant -- First African-American elected to the Boston City Council, instrumental in Boston busing desegregation, and with a school in Roxbury named after him as well as a building on Northeastern's campus.
 * Boston Gay Men's Chorus -- Founded in 1982, is a 175-voice ensemble focusing on creative programming and community outreach. The BGMC sings a wide spectrum of classical and popular music and creates social change by providing a positive, affirming image of the gay and lesbian community. The Chorus is heard live by more than 10,000 people each season and thousands more through recording, television, and internet broadcasts. In November 2013 CBS-WBZ named the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus one of the "top 5" choruses in the city of Boston.
 * Nancy Caruso -- May run into notability issues, so write with that in mind. Community activist and educator and co–founder of the North End Waterfront Central Artery Committee, instrumental in conversations around Big Dig and its transformation of the North End.
 * Rena Margulies Chernoff -- A Holocaust survivor who spoke at several Holocaust Survivor testimonials sponsored by Northeastern University’s Holocaust Awareness Committee in the early-late 1990s. She co-wrote the book, “The Tailors of Tomaszow: A Memoir of Polish Jews,” with her son Allan Chernoff, a former CNN correspondent.
 * Elvira “Pixie” Palladino -- East Boston community activist opposing the desegregation of the a Boston Public Schools. She served two terms on the Boston School Committee, and she helped found the anti-busing group, Restore Our Alienated Rights (ROAR).
 * First Church in Roxbury -- Organized in 1631 by Puritans, used as their meeting house until 1840, now hosting the Unitarian Universalist Urban Ministry. Building and site with great deal of history, mentioned in Roxbury, Boston, Thomas Weld (minister), Fort Hill, Boston, and several other articles.

Wonderful WikiProjects and more to-do lists (U.S. history and beyond)
WikiProject LGBT Studies: Things you can do

WikiProject African Diaspora: Current goals

WikiProject United States/Hispanic and Latino Americans: Open tasks

WikiProject Indigenous Peoples of North America: Articles requested

WikiProject WomenWriters: Missing articles

WikiProject Feminism: Open tasks

=Greater Boston and Massachusetts history sources=

Through NU Libraries

 * The Boston Globe Archive
 * ProQuest Historical Newspapers (including NY Times, Chicago Defender, more)
 * American National Biography
 * GenderWatch
 * JSTOR
 * Project MUSE

Free on the Web

 * Bay Windows
 * Bay State Banner
 * Historic Cambridge Newspaper Collection
 * Google News
 * Google Books
 * Google Scholar

=Wikipedia help=

Understanding Wikipedia's standards

 * Perfect article
 * Five Pillars
 * What Wikipedia is not
 * Reliable Sources
 * Starting an article and Your first article
 * Article assessment

Understanding Wikipedia's organization and markup

 * Wikipedia Tutorial
 * Markup cheatsheet
 * Citation Guide
 * Wiki Markup Quick Reference

=Results=

Articles expanded or improved

 * 1) Ted Landsmark -- still needs more work