Data Work in Memory Institutions: Why and How Information Professionals use Wikidata

Wikidata, an open structured database and a sibling project to Wikipedia, has recently become an important platform for information professionals to share structured metadata from their memory institutions, e.g., publishing and managing records, creating representation information, and filling out data gaps. While studies have investigated why and how peer producers contribute to Wikidata, the institutional motivations and practices of these organizations are less understood. Given Wikidata's potential role in linking and supporting knowledge infrastructures and open data systems, we examined why and how information professionals in memory institutions use Wikidata as part of their organizational workflow. Through interviews with 15 participants, we identified three archetypes of Wikidata--providers, acquirers, and mutualists--and different types of contributions that memory institutions bring to Wikidata. We then explored potential collaboration opportunities between memory institutions and Wikidata and other volunteers, discussed the value of the data work conducted by these professionals, and examined how and why they track their contributions. Our work contributes to the wider discussions around collaboration and data work in CSCW by 1) studying the motivations and practices of information professionals, their differences from volunteer work, and opportunities for the Wikidata community to promote more collaborative efforts within memory institutions and with other volunteers and 2) drawing attention to the important data work done by memory institutions on Wikidata and pointing to opportunities for supporting information professionals' contributions.