WikiProject New York Meeting Minutes

WikiProject New York Meeting Agendas  Meeting Minutes

Minutes 22 Sep 2011
Thursday 22 September 2011


 * 1) New York Moderator (DSammy) remarks
 * 2) Proposed adoption of the FamilySearch Wiki:WikiProject New York page as the project home page (approved)
 * 3) Choose a time and place for the next three WikiProject New York meetings (Every Thursday 1:00 p.m.)
 * 4) Choose a project leader (David Dilts approved)
 * 5) Take time to have each participant "register" by adding a project logo to their User page (discussed)
 * 6) Discuss and delegate someone to set up a section of the home page telling how to reach each WikiProject New York member. (Danielle Batson approved, telephone numbers disapproved)
 * 7) Discuss and adopt a tentative preliminary project schedule including sprints (phases), if any (discussed possibility of three week sprints)
 * 8) Tentatively prioritize project task list (discussed)
 * 9) Discuss WikiProject New York Progress Chart (discussed)
 * 10) Discuss and define the first task for project participants (discussed)
 * 11) Discuss and adopt project rules (approved with modifications)


 * To be called "Framework" rather than "Rules"
 * Prefer term "teaching" to "pedagogical"

12. Discuss and adopt project model New York county style page (approved with modifications)


 * Request to review possible flat or flatter structure next week
 * All headings approved from top down to Taxation with these notations
 * Considerable discussion about "Ethnic, Political, or Religious Groups"
 * Repositories approved as header, but decided to remove sub-headers by turning them into bold words rather than level 5 headers:
 * Archvies, Libraries, and Museums (bold)
 * Courthouses (bold)
 * Family History Centers (bold)
 * Societies (bold)
 * Decided to place "Social Groups Online" as a separate header outside repositories heading

Minutes 29 Sep 2011
Thursday 29 September 2011

1. This week's agenda approved 2. Last week's minutes approved. "Historical Fact" confirmed again as header in place of "Organizational Facts" 3. Insert the following in your User page:   4. Multiple access numbers: approved:


 * In WikiProject NY citations cite library access numbers in the following order:
 * Online copies (up to 3) with the best first, like this, "Internet Archive online copy; Google Books online copy; Geronimo online copy;"
 * WorldCat template listing like this, "At various libraries (WorldCat);"
 * FHL template listing like this, FHL Film xxxxxx; Book xxx.xxx xxx.
 * Separate each type of access number with semi-colons, but end with a period.

5A. We are mostly following precedents set for Illinois project. 5B. We encourage greater use of template for wording that will be repeated on multiple pages approved. Beth accepted assignment to create a page listing such templates and explaining how to create and use them. 6A. Images of courthouses have been removed from info boxes. Request that we use smaller images about 200px to save space for text. 6B. "Record Loss" section will be removed only AFTER a diligent search fails to find any record loss approved 6C. We will remove stub templates from pages approved 6D. Cramped look of info box, Random Acts box and pictures. David will figure out a way to make it look better. 7. Chicago Manual of Style citation style reviewed (see Albany County Bible Records citation)


 * Name of author in spoken order, followed by a comma,
 * Title in italics – no period at the end
 * Publication data in parenthesis - where published, colon, publisher, comma, and year of publication – close parenthesis, comma (if page number follows, but period if NO page number)
 * Page number(s) followed by period
 * Access info. Up to 3 online copies (best first), WorldCat, and FHL Film; Fiche, and Book numbers if available, each separated by a semi-colon but ending with a period
 * Annotation which explains why a genealogist would use that item

8. Bullets, indentations, dated list - be consistent through the whole page


 * prefer indented bullets approved
 * items in a series should get bullets. Items NOT in a series should not get bullets.
 * addresses will not be indented (but we will look at examples next week before a final decision)
 * start dated lists with the dates first and in bold

9. NY will have both neighboring counties lists, and maps of neighboring counties approved Beth will create neighboring county maps, hopefully with links the counties. 10. Towns in a County maps. Dsammy will create a map showing the towns in each county for NY. 11. Repositories. approved


 * IF 4 or fewer repositories/county, give each repository name its own level-5 header like:
 * ===== Albany County Courthouse =====
 * ===== Albany New York Family History Center =====
 * ===== Rensselaerwijk Historical Society =====
 * ===== Yankee Pioneer Museum =====
 * IF 5 or more repositories/county, group the repositories under the appropriate level-5 category-headers like:
 * ===== Archives, Libraries, and Museums =====
 * ===== Courthouses =====
 * ===== Family History Centers =====
 * ===== Societies =====

12. Danielle will write instructions for Repositories, begin work on Vital Records

ACTION ITEMS


 * David will find a way to relieve clutter after info boxes.
 * Beth will create a page with growing list of templates to be used on New York county pages.
 * Beth will add links to neighboring county maps for each county if someone else draws the maps.
 * Sammy will add town maps for each county.
 * Danielle will write instructions for working on Repositores in NY counties.
 * Each participant will select two or three counties and work on repositories; report next week.

Minutes 06 Oct 2011
Thursday 6 October 2011

1. Review agenda. Pat wishes to discuss other repositories. Item 7 2. Minutes approved from 29 September 2011 3. Lise asked about italics in wiki – she heard it was not a good idea. David explained that the information she heard wasn’t correct and that italics are ok for the purposes of the Wiki. 4. David explained the Wiki Progress Chart and asked us to sign up for a county. Assignment: All sign up for a County to work on. 5. Lise wants to leave out the word “phone.” Discussion about this. Jason mentioned we need to decide if we are putting Fax numbers in first. Decision was to not include Fax numbers. Vote as to whether or not to put in the word “phone.” We voted to keep the word phone. We also decided to use the word phone as opposed to telephone or ph. We decided to capitalize the “P” on Phone. Decision: No fax numbers. Use the word Phone (with capital P) 6. Cite your sources. Always tell where you found every piece of information. Reminder: Cite your sources 7. How was our experience of adding of repository information? Pat mentioned Hamilton County, New York and how they not only had a county site, but town historians. Lise brought up the point that we should make sure the information is current for contact people. Pat wants to know if this is a good use of her time. David indicated that in the case of New York, this is worthwhile. Question is raised about why the need for duplicate addresses on town page. (I kind of got lost with the continuing discussion). 8. Adoption of Albany County page as model.


 * a.Headings. DSammy has a problem with headings and thinks Level 5 is too small. David wondered if the engineers could change the color or make them bold so that people can read it more easily. The purple is too light. David would like to keep Level 5 until we find out if the engineers are not able to do anything about it. Lise suggested we also ask the engineers about the white space
 * b. Vital records. Looked at Madison County, NY Vital records as example.
 * c. Green arrow and breadcrumb trail. Is there a reason for the green arrow in the introductory paragraph of vital records. Lisa will take it out. Nathan likes the green arrow sometimes at the beginning the subject when referring to something else on the county page. Leave green arrows for the breadcrumb trail and not in the middle of a paragraph. Michael Ritchey said to not build anymore breadcrumb trails because the system is going to build them. DSammy said that Michael said we can keep using them until the system changes it. The new way will be like a real bread crumb trail which tracks where we have been. David thinks we should be able to have both. David is going to ignore the instruction to discontinue our bread crumb trails.
 * d. Places part of the model. David suggests we have a “Places” section which would be above the template “Municipalities and communities” DSammy would like References to be the last item on the page so that the “Municipalities and communities” template and the “Links to NY-related articles” template are together. Danielle thought that the “Links – related articles” template is meant to be at the bottom of the page because it doesn’t really have anything to do with the page. DSammy would at least like to have the templates together. We can do an example and discuss it on the page and then discuss it at the next meeting. DSammy said to look at Orange County, NY because that is how he wants it. Discussion about this. It sounds as though DSammy would like the “Muncipalities…” template and “related articles” template together at the bottom.
 * e. Delete Neighboring Counties in the “Municipalities” box since it is already in the top “Historical Facts” section? DSammy will discuss it with David.
 * f. How about leaving the “Municipalities” open all the time rather than a closed box? Vote was taken. What about the “Related articles” template? Vote was taken.
 * g. Reminder to put a category on EVERY page.
 * h. Social Groups online
 * j. With the exception of the bottom templates (for “Municipalities” and “Related Articles”, do we agree the Albany page is the example to use for the other counties.

SUMMARY of discussion item 9 Reminder: Every page needs a category

Decisions:


 * Voted to leave the Municipalities” and the “Related Articles” nav boxes open
 * Agreed that the Albany County page structure is the example to use.

Assignments: 


 * David to talk to engineers about Level issue (change color or bold) and the block of white space between header and text. David will also talk to Michael Ritchey about the breadcrumb trail issue.
 * Lisa will take out the green arrow in the vital records paragraph.
 * Diane to explain how to find the item number for the FHL template for film etc. Have DSammy review it.
 * Danielle responsible to add the New York facebook page to the Social Groups Online section task page.

10. Chicago Manual of Style states it is ok to put in the url in the references. In the text you can hide the url, but not in the footnotes. Reminder: You must put the whole url in the footnotes, but can hide it in the body of the text. 11. Danielle talked about the “tasks” for the categories under “Repositories.” Task page for Vital Records will be done soon. The question was asked as to whether or not we should put in the closest FHC if there is not one in the county. Decision: To keep the FHC section the way it is unless there are several FHC’s and then we will bullet them with links.