adding edits suggested by WM reviewers
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[[Wikipedia:State Library of New South Wales|The State Library of New South Wales]] in Sydney is noted as being the first Library in Australia and prides itself on a fantastic collection of manuscripts, paintings and photographs, oral histories and printed works. This Library has had a [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia:GLAM/State Library of New South Wales|Wikipedia project]] since 2012 when 3 members of [[Wikimedia Australia]] visited the Library to provide training sessions for interested staff. The group is now one of the most active [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia:GLAM/Projects|GLAM-Wiki participants]] in Australia and use the Library's extensive collections to add well-cited information to Wikipedia and copyright-free images to Commons.
[[Wikipedia:State Library of New South Wales|The State Library of New South Wales]] in Sydney is noted as being the first Library in Australia and prides itself on a fantastic collection of manuscripts, paintings and photographs, oral histories and printed works. This Library has had a [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia:GLAM/State Library of New South Wales|Wikipedia project]] since 2012 when 3 members of [[Wikimedia Australia]] visited the Library to provide training sessions for interested staff. The group is now one of the most active [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia:GLAM/Projects|GLAM-Wiki participants]] in Australia and use the Library's extensive collections to add well-cited information to Wikipedia and copyright-free images to Commons.
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An example of an article created by the Library's Wikipedia group is a [[Wikipedia:List of Australian diarists of World War I|List of Australian diarists of World War I]]. During the [[Wikipedia:World War I|war]], despite being forbidden by their superiors, many soldiers kept a personal diary small enough to hide in their top pocket. In 1919, the Library instigated a drive to collect these documents from returned soldiers, chiefly through newspapers advertisements with offers of payment. Some years later the [[Wikipedia:Australian War Memorial|Australian War Memorial]] followed suit with their own collecting drive by writing personal letters to families of lost soldiers
requesting
for
diaries
to be
donated
. In their letters the Memorial described the value of the diaries as records of the 'supreme effort and endurance in circumstances of which, unfortunately, there is in many cases nowadays practically no other existing record'. The result of these two great collecting drives is that many of these precious first-hand and uncensored accounts of war are housed in collecting institutions who can ensure their long term preservation and access.
+
An example of an article created by the Library's Wikipedia group is a [[Wikipedia:List of Australian diarists of World War I|List of Australian diarists of World War I]]. During the [[Wikipedia:World War I|war]], despite being forbidden by their superiors, many soldiers kept a personal diary small enough to hide in their top pocket. In 1919, the Library instigated a drive to collect these documents from returned soldiers, chiefly through newspapers advertisements with offers of payment. Some years later the [[Wikipedia:Australian War Memorial|Australian War Memorial]] followed suit with their own collecting drive by writing personal letters to families of lost soldiers
to
request
diaries
for
donation
. In their letters the Memorial described the value of the diaries as records of the 'supreme effort and endurance in circumstances of which, unfortunately, there is in many cases nowadays practically no other existing record'. The result of these two great collecting drives is that many of these precious first-hand and uncensored accounts of war are housed in collecting institutions who can ensure their long term preservation and access.
−
Using catalogue records of the Library's and Memorial's diaries as a starting point, the Library's Wikipedia group began to compile a list of known Australian diarists from World War I.[[File:Display of World War 1 diaries at State Library NSW's Life Interrupted exhibition, July 2014.jpg|thumb|Display of World War I diaries at State Library NSW]]
The
Library staff also found diaries held in other GLAM and private collections and
compiled
the
names
of approximately 1200 Australian World War I diarists. Since the article has moved into mainspace, contributions of other editors have expanded the list to around 1330. Perhaps most noteworthy of all is that since each listing is backed up by a citation, the article currently sits at number 2 on [[Wikipedia:WP:Articles with the most references|Wikipedia Articles with the most references]] - something these librarians are very proud of!
+
Using catalogue records of the Library's and Memorial's diaries as a starting point, the Library's Wikipedia group began to compile a list of known Australian diarists from World War I.[[File:Display of World War 1 diaries at State Library NSW's Life Interrupted exhibition, July 2014.jpg|thumb|Display of World War I diaries at State Library NSW]] Library staff also found diaries held in other GLAM and private collections and
were able to compile
a
list
of approximately 1200 Australian World War I diarists. Since the article has moved into mainspace, contributions of other editors have expanded the list to around 1330. Perhaps most noteworthy of all is that since each listing is backed up by a citation, the article currently sits at number 2 on [[Wikipedia:WP:Articles with the most references|Wikipedia Articles with the most references]] - something these librarians are very proud of!
−
The
value
of
articles
such
as
this,
highlight
the
ability
of
individual
GLAM
organisations
to
produce
in
-depth
articles
by
starting
with
their
own
collection
strengths
and
drawing
new
connections
through
other
GLAM
collections
and
editors'
contributions.
The value
of
this
article
for
researchers
and
scholars
Listing all these diaries in one place chronicles
this
unique
material
held
across
diverse
collections
and
serves
as
a
fantastic
resource
for
people
uncovering
the
history
of
war
diaries,
those
interested
in
researching
the
lives
of
family
members
or
war
historians locating primary sources
. A hundred years on, these little diaries keep finding new pockets to hide in.
+
The
article
holds
enormous
value
to
researchers
and
scholars
in
listing
unique
material
held
across
multiple collections
in
one
place.
It
serves
as
a
fantastic
resource
for
people
researching
the
lives
of
family
members
and
locating
primary
sources
of
the
First
World
War.
Projects
such
as
this
,
highlight
the
ability
of
individual
GLAM
organisations
to
produce
in-depth
articles
by
starting
with
their
own
collection
strengths
and
enchancing
them
by
drawing
new
connections
through
other
GLAMs
and
gaining
editors'
contributions
. A hundred years on, these little diaries keep finding new pockets to hide in.
''Michael Carney''<br>
''Michael Carney''<br>