Thanks, Peter! I actually uploaded that photo earlier this week in advance of a Wikipedia Meetup at the University of Texas at Arlington today where we will be working on creating an article on Emerson Emory. According to his Handbook of Texas Online entry, he was in the United States Naval Reserve in the late 1940s and early 1950s when the photo was taken, so it must be their equipment. I have no knowledge of diving suits, though, so I can't say anything more about it definitively. Hopefully once we get the Emory Wikipedia article created, we'll have some more context. Michael Barera (talk) 15:09, 21 February 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Referral
Hi Michael Barera, Your name came up in a discussion with @Maile66:. I hope that you don't mind that I'm contacting you without solicitation. I mostly write about Texas history, and biographies in particular. Do you have an interest in these areas, and if so, are you inclined to critiquing some articles? The second question regards your expertise as a librarian. I just created Nettie Lee Benson and I am thinking about working on articles about some Texas collections, such as the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History. I may be looking for a librarian's advice on these articles. Best, Oldsanfelipe2 (talk) 20:40, 20 February 2020 (UTC)[reply]
I appreciate the response, Michael Barera. I have two articles, my first submissions, to DYK: Eugene C. Barker and Nettie Lee Benson. I made a big mess of the first one, but the second submission is much better and reflects a better understanding of the rules. I am still reading about Benson, so I will be adding to that article. Her career is compelling. At one point, she was the director of the Latin American Collection at UT, and at the same time, she taught history and library science courses. How did this person find time to sleep? I have my eye on improving Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, while folding in subsections about the individual collections. As someone who is interested in Texas history, I lean heavily on the Portal to Texas History and think many Wikipedia readers would find this article compelling. On an unrelated note, as I just discovered, I added a few of your photos to a gallery at People's National Bank Building (Tyler, Texas) a few years ago. Best, Oldsanfelipe2 (talk) 16:02, 21 February 2020 (UTC)[reply]
I am trying to find out the publication date of some non-circulating Texas currency from 1835. This artifact [1] is part of the Rowe-Barr Collection of Texas Currency and housed at the DeGolyer Library at SMU. Do you have any ideas about how to research the year of publication (as opposed to the year of creation) for ephemera and maps? Best, Oldsanfelipe2 (talk) 21:37, 1 March 2020 (UTC)[reply]
@Oldsanfelipe2: I've spoken with my colleague (who is also on Wikipedia as Texh&tc) about your question, and he advises the following:
It was designed (and probably printed) sometime between October and December of 1836 when Texas was a Republic and when Columbia was the capital. If it was uncirculated, then it was not technically "published." There is no "one-size, fits all" way to date objects like maps and ephemera. You have to use historical sources to come up with the best guess. Often "circa" works well when you can't pin it down to a certain date. Unfortunately, computer programs are often not equipped by the designers to handle uncertainty.
He also noted that he was the first one to work on the Rowe-Barr collection's database when he worked at the DeGolyer Library, before he came to UTA. Does this help? Michael Barera (talk) 17:17, 3 March 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for checking it out. This is what I suspected, but coming from an expert, this removes all doubt. There are circulated C & A bank notes in the Rowe-Barr Collection from the late-1840s, so those would be in the public domain. Oldsanfelipe2 (talk) 17:48, 3 March 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Yeah, I've been trying to add UTA content to other language Wikipedias. We've found that, after English Wikipedia, Spanish Wikipedia intersects with our content the best, followed by German and then French Wikipedia. The stats are pretty interesting if you'd like to explore them on BaGLAMa 2. All the best! Michael Barera (talk) 18:37, 20 March 2020 (UTC)[reply]
You're getting it, Yumi! This is more advanced, but add another colon to the response for every new line in the conversation. So, if you were to reply to this line, you'd start your reply with five colons (":::::"). Michael Barera (talk) 19:53, 13 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, absolutely! You can copy the wikitext code from my menu page. Just create a page in your userspace with that code, and then adapt it to your needs. Then you can use that page name like a template: {{User:Michael Barera/menu}} My menu is actually a modified derivative of the menu created by The Transhumanist. Michael Barera (talk) 17:59, 14 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Should I do justice to them? MaccoreHenniMii!Pictochat Mii! (Note: respond on minha talk page)
Hi Michael,
I'm going through some of the steps on your Wikipedia LibGuide now that I've had two visual lessons with you. It's making more sense now and of course the more I actually get in and do some editing, I'll feel more confident. :-) Thanks for the session today and you did a great job!
Also, can you help me with the latest discussion on my talk page? I don't think I'm able to articulate quite well what I mean.
Thanks for dropping by, Mac Henni! I've linked the icon you designated for your watchlist to the link Special:Watchlist, which should direct you to your watchlist when you click on it. Because watchlists are private, however, when any other user clicks on it (including myself), it will direct them to their watchlist, not yours. But it should work for you. Let me know if it does not.
Regarding the discussion on your talk page, I would handle it by linking directly to the AUTOCONFIRM and SEMI policies, which you've already done. It sounds like Billybostickson may have been offended by the idea that he is being considered a new user (I may be off on this, though), so my approach with him would be to apologize for any offense taken by him (even though none was intended) and be as concillatory and as overtly friendly to him as I could be. That is my personal style, at least, and I've found it works really well on Wikipedia.
@Michael Barera: Yeah, it was moved to a subpage of my talk page called Bostickson. I'm avoiding linking to it anywhere else so that it is a free-floting (orphan) page.MaccoreHenniMii!Pictochat Mii! (Note: respond on minha (my) talk page) 21:15, 24 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Ah, I see. No wonder I couldn't find it. Why are you avoiding linking to it? That will make it hard to find for people who are trying to communicate with you (including Bostickson or me).
To reduce clutter while preserving continuity, I'd recommend an auto-archiving system like the one I use on my talk page. It archives posts older than seven days, unless it is the only post on the page. Let me know what you think about the approach that I use. I'd be happy to help you set one up on your talk page. Michael Barera (talk) 22:07, 24 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]
I really intended it to be only for Bostickson and I. As for your auto-archive, go ahead! Thanks! By the way, how do you automatically thank someone on your page — Preceding unsigned comment added by Mac Henni (talk • contribs) 22:09, 24 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]
@Mac Henni: You thank another user by going to the "view history" tab, and while viewing either that view or the "difference between revisions" view, click the "thank" button that is right next to the "undo" button.
Regarding the auto-archiving system, would you prefer a system that is based on dates (like mine, with archives for "2020", "2019", etc.) or one that is based on increments ("Archive 1", "Archive 2", etc.)? I'd be happy to help you set up either type. To learn more, you can read about how to auto archive here. (I would not recommend the static archive approach because it has a technical limit and won't serve you as well over the long term as the other two.) Let me know how I can help! Michael Barera (talk) 14:36, 26 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]
COI
I know you are a well-respected editor heading toward a half-million edits, but adding external links to your employers website might be considered inappropriate. Thanks. Magnolia677 (talk) 18:24, 23 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for your concern, Magnolia677. I'm trying to use my judgement as a Wikipedian to add links to finding aids that are directly related to Wikipedia article subjects in cases only where they would be useful to Wikipedians and our readers. Yes, the set of finding aids that I'm currently working on are those that are housed at UTA Libraries, my employer, but I don't believe this constitutes an actual conflict of interest. Would you mind taking a look at the content of the finding aids and how they related to the Wikipedia articles to which I am linking them, and then letting me know what you think about the appropriateness of these links?
If you believe that I am wrong in my assessment and that conflict of interest does apply and I should not be adding these links to finding aids because they relate to UTA Libraries collections, then I can ask a colleague at another repository to make these edits and focus my edits on adding links to other repositories that participate in Texas Archival Resources Online (TARO). At the end of the day, the exact same edits would be made and the same content would be added to Wikipedia articles, it would just be done by a Wikipedian other than myself. Michael Barera (talk) 18:42, 23 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]
There has been some discussion about the value of finding aids here, and I have participated in a few discussions here and here and found the comments of User:Spinningspark in the latter discussion persuasive. Every finding aid I've encountered on Wikipedia appears of little value to the average reader; manuscript description and archival holdings and a bunch of stuff not available online and of interest only to hardcore researchers who would almost certainly not begin their search for resources on Wikipedia. Also, any time I've ever commented about the addition of a finding aid the editor adding them has been employed by a research library. Just my $0.02. Anyway, cheers and stay safe! Magnolia677 (talk) 22:00, 23 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]
As I said in the other discussion, WP:ELNO explicitly rules against resources which cannot be freely read online at bullets #6, #7 and #8. As it stands, finding aids can be removed uncontroversially by anyone who comes across them as a breach of the guideline. Perhaps a wider discussion would be in order at WP:VPP to bottom out what the community consensus actually is on this. To me, it seems like something more appropriate for Wikidata to handle than directly in-article. SpinningSpark22:29, 23 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you for starting the RfC, Spinningspark. I will not add any more links to finding aids, either those of my employer or at other repositories, while the discussion is in progress and, obviously, will abide by the community consensus established by this RfC. Sorry for any difficulties that my creation and implementation of Template:TARO has caused. Michael Barera (talk) 16:06, 24 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]
I was completely unaware of your template, I was pinged from a different discussion and initially just left a "drive-by" comment here. SpinningSpark16:13, 24 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]
I am sorry to disagree with two of my colleagues above, but I think the links you have been adding are generally helpful and see no problem with them. I've commented in greater detail at the RfC linked above. Regards, Newyorkbrad (talk) 06:56, 27 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for contributing to the RfC, Newyorkbrad. My personal feelings are largely in line with yours, although I will certainly abide by the community consensus and will revert my TARO finding aid-related edits if necessary. Happy editing! Michael Barera (talk) 16:31, 28 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]
What if I drafted a page of people who mean a lot to me and allow them to sign on it? I'd name it User:Mac_Henni/thanks... at least for now. And I just wanted to also let you know that even though Billybostickson is a pain in the but (heh!) he's still a contrarian. I like that, especially when we are dealing with WP:Be bold. He's a little too bold. Anyways, let me know what you think. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Mac Henni (talk • contribs) 19:46, 28 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]
@Mac Henni: I'm not aware of any other user with a page like that (which doesn't mean that it doesn't exist, of course), but I don't think that anyone would have an issue with it. Your userspace is your userspace. If you feel strongly about creating it, then go for it. Michael Barera (talk) 22:37, 28 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]
@Michael Barera:Let me know when you've done it. Also, let Billybostickson know about this. Also, is there some way you could dress up the page, at least centering the page and making an top icon using 'File:Starry litten (incineroar).jpg that has some caption like... I dunno, maybe "Here's the sacred talk page of Mac Henni, who this user has been honored by!" and link it to my talk page! And then, put it atop your own page. (FYI, it's up to you what it says. Just make it related to Incineroar. If you don't know anything about that cat, then [[2]] (I am aware that this is an external link; Bulbapedia is a good source). MaccoreHenniMii!Pictochat Mii! (Note: respond on minha (my) talk page in some manner) 01:23, 29 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Also, I just made a couple improvements to your user menu, and used it on all the pages that it links to, so it works a little more like mine. Please feel free to revert my edits if you don't like them. I just thought you'd appreciate the increased functionality.
Additionally, you may want to describe Billybostickson a little differently, such as crediting him for "being contrarian" or "helping me challenge my beliefs or ideas"...I doubt he would want to consent to signing your "thanks" page the way that it is currently written. Michael Barera (talk) 18:05, 29 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Can you also create a {{topicon}} for the people who are mentioned on User:Mac Henni/thanks, using the file named above? I meant for that to happen, but I believe that there was a misunderstanding... or at least create a sub page with a top icon on my userspace?MaccoreHenniMii!Pictochat Mii! (Note: respond on minha (my) talk page in some manner) 21:49, 29 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]
No, not necessarily. It can be on yours... but I would like you to put a link to it on the thanks page in my userspace! MaccoreHenniMii!Pictochat Mii! (Note: respond on minha (my) talk page in some manner) 20:40, 30 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Link it here User:Michael Barera/archives. It'll go to the user of the page it is put on, such as your page (in this example). If you were to put it on my talk page, it would go to my user page! As far as I am aware though, the link param is not needed... OK, I was wrong. But yeah, even though it's redundant, it works to satisfy the wikilink param. MaccoreHenniMii!Pictochat Mii! (Note: respond on minha (my) talk page in some manner) 23:47, 30 April 2020 (UTC) [Look at the source. It will clarify what I did.][reply]
OK, Mac Henni, just to clarify, do you want the link to my user page to be from the "thanks" page or do you want another clickable image in your navigation menu to direct there? Or do you want a secondary navigation menu that just appears at the top of the "thanks" page (kind of like how my "Michael Barera's talk archives" menu sits right below my navigation menu at the top of this page)? I just want to make sure I completely understand what you'd like before I make the edit. Michael Barera (talk) 05:16, 1 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]
A {{topicon}} would be great, if you could create one of those. If you could just link it in the thanks page, it would link to my page. That's what the {{BASEPAGENAME}} template does. MaccoreHenniMii!Pictochat Mii! (Note: respond on minha (my) talk page in some manner) 15:33, 1 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]
OK, thanks Mac Henni! I think I've figured it out now, after a little troubleshooting (I'd never worked with {{topicon}} before)...what do you think of my edits? Is this what you were envisioning? If not, I'd be happy to keep helping you. Michael Barera (talk) 16:40, 1 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]
@Michael Barera: If you ever need me to help with something just ask. I may not do it right away, but if it's not totally important, then I'm the man! As for your edits, better. I put it onto a separate page, but otherwise I didn't change it! MaccoreHenniMii!Pictochat Mii! (Note: respond on minha (my) talk page in some manner) 22:18, 11 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]
DYK for Old Jail Art Center
On 29 May 2020, Did you know was updated with a fact from the article Old Jail Art Center, which you recently created, substantially expanded, or brought to good article status. The fact was ... that a redundant jail, saved from demolition when an author bought it for $25 for use as his writing studio, later became the Old Jail Art Center? The nomination discussion and review may be seen at Template:Did you know nominations/Old Jail Art Center. You are welcome to check how many page hits the article got while on the front page (here's how, Old Jail Art Center), and it may be added to the statistics page if the total is over 5,000. Finally, if you know of an interesting fact from another recently created article, then please feel free to suggest it on the Did you know talk page.
Have a happy birthday, Michael Barera! Supplied by the Wikipedia Birthday Committee, have one free cake! Enjoy! Best wishes to you on your special day!
Thanks for uploading File:Wisely screenshot.png. The image description page currently specifies that the image is non-free and may only be used on Wikipedia under a claim of fair use. However, the image is currently not used in any articles on Wikipedia. If the image was previously in an article, please go to the article and see why it was removed. You may add it back if you think that that will be useful. However, please note that images for which a replacement could be created are not acceptable for use on Wikipedia (see our policy for non-free media).
Thanks for uploading File:Wisely logo.png. The image description page currently specifies that the image is non-free and may only be used on Wikipedia under a claim of fair use. However, the image is currently not used in any articles on Wikipedia. If the image was previously in an article, please go to the article and see why it was removed. You may add it back if you think that that will be useful. However, please note that images for which a replacement could be created are not acceptable for use on Wikipedia (see our policy for non-free media).
Hi there, at Longview, Texas, I'm wondering if this image needs a tweak or maybe a replacement. Some of the images are kind of small, and the flags at half staff make me think someone died at the library. This image from 2016 might look good in the infobox. Just wanted to get your input. Cheers. Magnolia677 (talk) 07:50, 20 September 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for stopping by, Magnolia677! I'm personally not a fan of single-image collages. I'd recommend either reconstructing the collage (with only the images you want) using separate images in the infobox (as done in the Los Angeles article) or picking one highly representative image and just using that (as done in the San Francisco article). If you go the latter route, I think File:Longview, Texas.jpg would be a fine choice. If you go the former route, I think some of the images in the current collage can stay, while you can replace the others as you see fit. I don't have a preference between the two approaches...do what you think looks best. Hope this helps, and happy editing! Michael Barera (talk) 15:34, 20 September 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Hello! Voting in the 2020 Arbitration Committee elections is now open until 23:59 (UTC) on Monday, 7 December 2020. All eligible users are allowed to vote. Users with alternate accounts may only vote once.
The Arbitration Committee is the panel of editors responsible for conducting the Wikipedia arbitration process. It has the authority to impose binding solutions to disputes between editors, primarily for serious conduct disputes the community has been unable to resolve. This includes the authority to impose site bans, topic bans, editing restrictions, and other measures needed to maintain our editing environment. The arbitration policy describes the Committee's roles and responsibilities in greater detail.
![[1]](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Commercial_and_Agricultural_Bank_of_Texas_$1.00_(one_dollar)_private_scrip_(8519862080).jpg){kind=link}
