Since its foundation in 2012, Wikidata, the database attached to Wikipedia, has grown steadily. It started life as an index to all Wikipedias, across hundreds of languages. It has become one of the most active sites in the constellation realising the concept of “semantic Web”. It is also easy to edit, and is a versatile resource with numerous applications. The talk element of this session will touch briefly on major aspects of Wikidata and some of the ways it is used, with an additional Q&A section. There will also be a free sandwich lunch.

After the initial talk, there will be a 2 hour hands-on session to help you understand more about how Wikidata works. Please bring your own device and sign up for a Wikipedia account before the session. We will look at data entry; how Wikidata can marshal and display datasets in different fashions; a “training wheels” introduction to SPARQL queries; and working with images. We will also fuel you with tea and coffee.

This session is open to all. We would especially like to encourage librarians, and anyone working with facts and information such as researchers, to come along.

The outline of the afternoon will be:

13:00 Arrival and sandwich lunch

13:30 Talk and Q&A session

14:30 Hands-on session

16:30 Close

We have two ticket types: Talk only and Talk & Hands-on, so you can have the option to come along for one hour only or for the full session.

This session will be led by our Wikimedian-in-Residence, Dr Charles Matthews.

Introduction to Wikidata