Help:BPG Contributors' Toolbox

Book and Paper Group Wiki > BPG Contributors Toolbox

Welcome to the BPG Wiki Contributors’ Toolbox. This page provides information and resources for those interested in contributing to the BPG Wiki.

Copyright 2025. The AIC Wiki is a publication of the American Institute for Conservation (AIC). It is published as a convenience for the members of AIC. Publication does not endorse nor recommend any treatments, methods, or techniques described herein. Information on researching with and citing the wiki can be found on the Reference and Bibliography Protocols page.

Cite this page:

American Institute for Conservation (AIC). "Help:BPG Contributors' Toolbox." AIC Wiki. November 17, 2025. https://www.conservation-wiki.com/wiki/Help:BPG_Contributors%27_Toolbox.

Ways to get involved

You don't have to edit the Wiki to contribute. There's a learning curve in using the Wiki, and not everyone has the time to learn the WikiMedia software platform. We can appreciate that coding text is not for all of our members, so we have developed other ways you can contribute.

• The BPG Wiki Coordinators Sandrine Blais and Mitchel Gundrum are ready to work with you to add, edit, or remove something if you'd prefer to work off-line. Email them at BookandPaperGroup.Wiki@gmail.com.
• If you're an experienced conservator without Wiki expertise but interested in sharing some of your tips while mentoring others, would you consider getting paired with an emerging conservator? If so, not only could they take care of the coding changes but the short-term experience would broaden their professional network as they learned something new. If you would be interested in being contacted by an emerging professional with regard to the Wiki, please send a note to BookandPaperGroup.Wiki@gmail.com.

Contributing without a Wiki editor account

You do not need a Wiki Editor account in order to become involved with the Wiki. For any level of contribution, contact the BPG Wiki Coordinators at bookandpapergroup.wiki@gmail.com for suggestions or questions. We will be able to make the edits on the wiki ourselves.

Here are some suggestions of contributions:

• Look at the BPG Help Wanted page to see a list of pages that are seeking editing assistance.
• Ask the BPG Wiki Coordinators about ongoing editing projects in need of assistance.
• Contribute photographs! Photographs are particularly appreciated additions to existing pages.
• If you find a broken link or outdated information, please contact us and we will address it!

Contributions with a Wiki editor account

How to become a Wiki editor

AIC Wiki Training & Resources Learning Platform Screenshot

To become a wiki editor, you must watch the training videos on the AIC Learning Platform. For any specific questions about the training videos, contact either the AIC wiki e-editor Rachael Arenstein or Bonnie Naugle.

A great tip to become familiar with the MediaWiki software is to create your User page. Take a look at the pages of Rachael Arenstein (Wiki e-editor), Denise Stockman, Cher Schneider, Katherine Kelly, Suzy Morgan, Sarah Reidell, and others.

It is also recommended to sign up to the AIC Wiki community forum to share with other wiki editors to get feedback or start a conversation.

Suggested contributions

• If you find a topic that is lacking or out-of-date, add a note on the "Discussion" tab of the page. For example, see the AIC Wiki Editors' Resources Discussion tab. Send a link to the compilers for that topic, the BPG Wiki Coordinators, and the AIC-Wiki listserv to get feedback or start a conversation.
• Add photographs! Photographs are particularly appreciated additions to existing pages.
• Consider becoming a contributor or compiler.

Definition of terms

Contributor

People contributing to specific pages in any notable manner should be listed as contributors. List yourselves!

Compiler

Becoming a compiler for a new or existing chapter is the biggest and best way to build the Conservation Catalogs. Most PCC chapters are already created but in need of revision. Most BCC chapters are incomplete. In both cases, there is ample opportunity to contribute. If you think you might be interested, consider:

• Would you have the time and availability to work with one to three colleagues for a year or so on this? It is suggested that you form the group yourself, however, if you would like help recruiting, the BPG Wiki Coordinators can help too. Perhaps an emerging conservation professional would be a useful member of your group?
• If you are able to attend the AIC Annual Meeting, it is great time to talk with colleagues and potential collaborators about conservation topics that you are interested in researching and publishing online.
• The BPG Wiki Coordinators would like to present updates to membership periodically, and especially at the AIC Annual Meeting, so having set time limits on a project is suggested.

Coordinator

A coordinator is a more formal position requiring a 3-year commitment. There is one Book (Mitchel Gundrum) and one Paper (Sandrine Blais) coordinator, who report to the BPG PubComm chair. Coordinators oversee chapter and section revisions, raise awareness of the Wiki, keep BPG members informed of its progress, recruit contributors, organize editing events, assist anyone that comes forward with research and expertise they want to share, and integrate the Wiki with other BPG PubComm efforts. Past BPG Wiki Coordinators are listed on the History of the BPG Wiki page.

Community guidelines

Edit boldly

The BPG Wiki encourages anyone to edit in the following ways:

• It is always okay to fix typos or add citations.
• It is always okay to add to Talk/Discussion pages.
• It is usually okay to add information to a page. If there is a Wiki Compiler listed at the top of a page, send an email to them first. If you have trouble getting in touch or would like to discuss your edits, email us at bookandpapergroup.wiki@gmail.com.

If you would like to make substantial edits to a page or delete content, please get in touch with us first at bookandpapergroup.wiki@gmail.com. We will make sure that you are connected with anyone else currently working on the page and help make certain that your changes are appropriate.

The BPG Wiki coordinators monitor all changes to our pages, so don't be surprised if we get in touch about your edits.

Some of the other Specialty Groups have a more formal process of "draft, review, then publish". Before editing pages outside of the BPG Wiki, check with them.

Always provide an edit summary

Any time you edit a page, please summarize your contributions in the Summary text entry field located under the main edit box. This will help other contributors understand your edits and decide whether they would like to review them. It also makes it much easier to determine who added what. Be concise, but be specific. "Added content" is not a very helpful summary, but "added embedded video about handling scrolls" is. Summaries are less important for minor changes, but a brief note like "fixed spelling" is helpful even then. Edit summaries for any Wiki page can be reviewed by clicking the "History" link at the top of the page. Read more about edit summaries on this Wikipedia help page.

Give credit for contributions

If you improve the content of a BPG Wiki page, please add your name to the top of the page under "Wiki Contributors". The History tab on each page will record what changes were made. If you add material on behalf of someone else, please record this in the Summary field as you save the edit - e.g., "Added recipe from Jane Q. Conservator" - and add their name to the top of the page under "Wiki Contributors". This should only be done with the contributor's permission.

Cite your work

When your contribution relies on someone else's published work, you must cite their work appropriately. We also encourage contributors to include inline citations wherever possible (within reason). This practice improves the credibility of the Wiki and makes it even more useful to researchers. More guidance is available in the BPG Reference and Bibliography Protocols. When referring to pages in the AIC Wiki, use an embedded link instead of a formal citation.

Written by and for conservation professionals

While references to published sources are best, the BPG Wiki can include statements based on the author's personal experience and training. This is different from Wikipedia, which does not allow original research. Readers are expected to use their professional judgement when evaluating all information on the Wiki. That being said, accuracy is our standard. If you see something that looks wrong, please contact us at bookandpapergroup.wiki@gmail.com.

Use of wikitext

When editing the BPG Wiki, the use of wikitext is preferable. HTML should be used sparingly to allow for ease of use by all editors and consistency in the code throughout the BPG Wiki.

Be courteous

Contributors have different views, perspectives, and backgrounds which sometimes vary widely. Treat others with respect.

Images in the BPG Wiki

Uploading images

Images (.jpg, .gif, .pdf, and others) can be uploaded by clicking on the "Upload file" link at the bottom of the left-hand navigation of each page. Images uploaded to the AIC Wiki should be jpeg (or jpg) format and between 1 and 5 MB in size. Smartphone and point-and-shoot images are fine.

Copyright

It is the responsibility of submitters to seek and obtain permission to publish from other rights holders (owners of objects described or illustrated, photographers, illustrators, or copyright holders other than the author) and to provide appropriate credits. Wikipedia’s Image Use Policy provides useful guidance.

Contributors to the Wiki retain ownership of their submitted material but grant AIC the right to republish it. So, images you upload may be reused throughout the Wiki.

Credits and captions

All images should have a caption.

The BPG Wiki does not require photographers, people, or objects to be identified. If you would like to add details, please follow the guidelines for figures in the JAIC Style Guide.

On the Wiki pages, short captions are preferred. We encourage you to include full credit and citations for an image in the description of the file when you upload it, but only put a short caption on a wiki page that contains that image. For example, when you click on the image of the lightbox below, you can see details of when and by whom the photo was taken.

These are all examples of acceptable images and captions for the BPG Wiki.

• 

  Water damaged photographs removed from paper clip (Student Folders with Photographs, Baghdadi Jewish Schools, 1961–71, Iraqi Jewish Archive #3755).

• 

  Acid burn on adjacent materials. Lewis T. Gregory Scrapbook, 1909-1913 Scrapbook, University Archives, University of Illinois. Image: Jennifer H. Teper.

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  A thin light box for illuminating a bound page from behind.

Useful "How-to" Pages

• BPG Template for New Page
• BPG Reference and Bibliography Protocols
• AIC Wiki User Guidelines
• AIC Wiki Editors' Resources