Wikipedia:Fold3

The Wikipedia Library

Fold3
Sign up for free access access to Fold3's online resources
(accounts available)

This user has access to Fold3 through The Wikipedia Library

Account Coordinator: Iazyges

Fold3 is a database of documents, images, and other material covering American military history, owned by the genealogical database Ancestry.com. Fold3 has significant collections covering African-American history, Native American history, the American Revolutionary War, the American Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Vietnam War, the US Bureau of Investigation, Project Blue Book and other aspects of American's history and military organizations and conflicts. 100 accounts for a year's worth of access are available for Wikipedia editors.

Requirements[edit]

• Verify that you don't already have free access to Fold3 through your local public library, college or university, or some other means.
• Have an account that is at least 6 months old.
• Have a minimum of 500 edits to Wikipedia and/or other Wikimedia wikis.
• Have preferences enabled to receive email messages on Wikipedia. (See Special:Preferences to enable your email.)

If you don't quite meet the experience requirements but think you would still be a strong candidate for access, feel free to apply and you may be considered.

Expectations[edit]

Approved editors may

• Search, view, retrieve, and display portions of restricted content
• Electronically save portions of restricted content
• Print out single copies of portions of restricted content
• Comply with any terms and conditions which appear on the particular pages of the Fold3 website they are accessing

Approved editors will not

• Share their account logins or passwords with others
• Mass scrape or mass download Fold3 content
• Systematically make printed or electronic copies of multiple extracts of restricted content available for any purpose
• Datamine metadata without permission, in order, for instance, to use metadata for auto-created stub articles
• Use their Wikipedia Library Fold3 access for any commercial purposes

Private and confidential information

• You will need to have a confirmed email address to participate. You understand and agree that your name and email address may be shared with representatives of the Wikimedia Foundation, Wikipedia Library, and Fold3. While Wikipedia Library coordinators are volunteers (not employees or contractors of the Wikimedia Foundation or Fold3), they have signed confidentiality agreements with the Wikimedia Foundation with regards to the personal information they may handle for the Wikipedia Library.

Use and citations[edit]

External video

Search tutorial for Fold3

• Editors should insure that all material used for Wikipedia purposes meets the criteria of the reliable sources policy. Much of the material in Fold3 consists of official government documents and records, which are obviously appropriate for use, but it also contains user-generated material which would not be eligible for use on Wikipedia as per WP:USERGENERATED.
• Editors should always provide original citation information in addition to linking to Fold3 material, per WP:V and WP:SAYWHEREYOUGOTIT.
• Editors should not provide bare links to non-free Fold3 pages.
• Editors should note "(subscription required)" in the citation (either through the "|subscription = " variable in {{cite web}} or {{subscription required}}), where appropriate.

Example

<ref>{{cite web |first = J. Allen | last = Hynek |authorlink=J. Allen Hynek | title=Special Report on Conferences with Astronomers on Unidentified Aerial Objects |work= Fold3 |accessdate=21 October 2014 |url=http://www.footnotelibrary.com/image/11883955/| publisher = [[Ancestry.com]] |subscription=yes}}</ref>

• Hynek, J. Allen. "Special Report on Conferences with Astronomers on Unidentified Aerial Objects". Fold3. Ancestry.com. Retrieved 21 October 2014. (subscription required (help)). 

Further participation[edit]

You can help The Wikipedia Library effectively leverage this partnership:

• Add {{Wikipedia:Fold3/Userbox}} to your user boxes if you have access to this database. This helps us share our project with other experienced users.

Apply[edit]

What to expect with TWL account processing
	Make sure to read this before sending emails to account coordinators inquiring about your account status. Our current average account distribution cycle (from sign up to account access), is 27 days. We are working on improving this. Step 1: Application screening We will begin screening applicants within a few weeks of opening applications, usually as the number of applications approaches or exceeds the number of accounts available. At that time the account coordinator will place an {{Approved}} ( Approved), {{Unapproved}} ( Not approved)or {{ToBeDone}} ( Pending or waitlisted) status to your account. If you signed up after the initial call for applicants, process may not happen immediately if accounts are not available. Step 2: Email and Google Form After you have received approval for an account, you will be contacted via a Wikipedia email from the account coordinator; be sure to check your spam folder. The email will contain instructions for filling out a Google form with the required information for access. Step 3: Waiting for partners to activate accounts There are several steps of subsequent processing, including waiting for a batch of users to submit information, emailing partners, and waiting for partners to activate accounts. Expect this process to take as long as two weeks; we try to make it take less time, but there are a lot of variables at play. Step 4: Using access Once the account is activated either the volunteer coordinator or the partner will send you an email with access information. Follow the given instructions, and make sure to actively use your access to improve Wikipedia content! Changes coming soon We recognize this process can be frustrating and take a while: we think so too. We are in the process of developing a digital tool to make this process more user friendly and make it easier for us to give you access to partners. Interested in helping process accounts or coordinate Wikipedia Library activities? Apply at Wikipedia:TWL/Coordinators/Signup to become a volunteer account coordinator.
Stuck or need help? Try our IRC channel #wikipedia-library

Add yourself at the bottom of the list with a line starting with #{{user8|USERNAME|Project=code}} (eg. {{user8|Example|Project=en}}), followed an affirmation that you meet the requirements and an explanation of why you believe the access would be beneficial to you. It is a good idea to include in your application text your depth of experience with Wikipedia and other WM projects, your editing areas benefited by access to Fold3, and examples of your commitment to content creation.

1. Philafrenzy (talk · contribs · central auth · count · email) Creating articles about Nazi art looting using US govt federal records that are in the Fold3 collection. Philafrenzy (talk) 22:21, 2 March 2015 (UTC) Approved
2. DHeyward (talk · contribs · central auth · count · email) Verifying and adding citations of valor for U.S. Military member like Franklin D. Miller and Marc Alan Lee. --DHeyward (talk) 05:55, 19 March 2015 (UTC) Approved
3. Scewing (talk · contribs · central auth · count · email) Creating Civil War era biographies and military articles like Gordon (slave), 24th Regiment, Clement Finley, The Peacemakers. --Scewing (talk) 23:43, 13 April 2015 (UTC) Approved
4. Parkwells (talk · contribs · central auth · count · email) An editor since 2008, I have 100,000+ edits, working on improving sources, cites and content of articles. Have concentrated on 19th-century US frontier and southern history, including fur trade and frontier, with histories of the many Native American families involved in these.Parkwells (talk) 14:17, 26 September 2015 (UTC)

   @Parkwells: Approved Expect an email shortly with further details. Nikkimaria (talk) 19:32, 1 February 2016 (UTC)

5. Ktr101 (talk · contribs · central auth · count · email) I use references on and off for military sites, and the material in the Fold3 collection should help to confirm or help discover facts about many remote sites that have little to no information online. Kevin Rutherford (talk) 06:17, 6 October 2015 (UTC)

   @Ktr101: Approved Expect an email shortly with further details. Nikkimaria (talk) 19:32, 1 February 2016 (UTC)

6. Clevelander96 (talk · contribs · central auth · count · email) Working since 2007 on 19th century newspaper coverage of Arctic exploration for WP Project:Arctic, such as Polaris Expedition,Sir John Franklin, and Lady Franklin Bay Expedition, many involving the US Navy.

   @Clevelander96: Approved Expect an email shortly with further details. Nikkimaria (talk) 19:32, 1 February 2016 (UTC)

7. Emerald Evergreen (talk · contribs · central auth · count · email) My need for this database probably isn't as great as others. In fact, I am not currently doing any research that would require the use of it, but I can envision that this might be useful in the future, so I would like to be considered for an account. I am interested in seeing what type of information is in it and how it could be used. Emerald Evergreen 17:29, 6 October 2015 (UTC)

   Not approved per my message on your talk. Nikkimaria (talk) 19:32, 1 February 2016 (UTC)

8. dunc0029 (talk · contribs · central auth · count · email) I believe I meet all of the requirements, and I have created and contributed to military and historical articles such as Luke Day. Dunc0029 (talk) 20:04, 6 October 2015 (UTC)

   @Dunc0029: You haven't been very active lately, would you be able to make good use of this account? Nikkimaria (talk) 19:32, 1 February 2016 (UTC)

9. GDW13 (talk · contribs · central auth · count · email) I have been editing since 2006 on a wide variety of articles and am always looking for reliable sources. Access to this resource would be a great addition to my toolbox used for contributing to Wikipedia. GDW13 (talk) 08:08, 7 October 2015 (UTC)

   @GDW13: You haven't been very active lately, would you be able to make good use of this account? Nikkimaria (talk) 19:32, 1 February 2016 (UTC)

10. DaltonCastle (talk · contribs · central auth · count · email) I am a veteran editor with a wide range of topics I write about. Although recently I have been writing about topics unrelated to military history, I do have a history writing related articles. I especially would like to get back into more military history pages. I would love to have access to Fold3 to provide additional resources for page creations! Let me know what more you need to know! Thank you for this opportunity! DaltonCastle (talk) 17:26, 7 October 2015 (UTC)

    @DaltonCastle: Approved Expect an email shortly with further details. Nikkimaria (talk) 19:32, 1 February 2016 (UTC)

11. Slambo (talk · contribs · central auth · count · email) I am an admin and the lead editor on Portal:Trains. I have been editing since September 2004, concentrating on rail transport history and technology subjects. Access to Fold3 would allow me to add and verify reliable source citations on these articles, especially on biographical articles for people involved in rail transport. Thank you! Slambo (Speak) 22:56, 8 October 2015 (UTC)

    @Slambo: Approved Expect an email shortly with further details. Nikkimaria (talk) 19:32, 1 February 2016 (UTC)

12. Tjlynnjr (talk · contribs · central auth · count · email) I verify that I meet or exceed the requirements specified for Wikipedia:Fold3. Tjlynnjr talkTjlynnjr (talk) 16:37, 31 March 2016 (UTC).

    @Tjlynnjr: Approved Expect an email shortly with further details. Nikkimaria (talk) 20:50, 15 April 2016 (UTC)

13. smmurphy (talk · contribs · central auth · count · email) I meet or exceed all requirements. I've recently been editing about members of the United States Colored Troops during the Civil War and my interests span the 19th and early 20th century. I have a little experience with fold3 and would love to use it for content creation at wikipedia.Smmurphy^(Talk) 22:32, 3 May 2016 (UTC)

    @Smmurphy: Approved Expect an email shortly with further details. Nikkimaria (talk) 19:34, 7 May 2016 (UTC)

14. Kges1901 (talk · contribs · central auth · count · email) - Editing on military history for more than a year now, and would like access to be able to get documents on American WWII servicemen. Kges1901 (talk) 22:48, 2 October 2016 (UTC)

    @Kges1901: Approved Expect an email shortly with further details. Nikkimaria (talk) 23:28, 7 October 2016 (UTC)

15. Spacini (talk · contribs · central auth · count · email) I am an active member of the American Civil War Task Force, created over 800 articles (most of which are regimental histories), and would use Fold3 to verify and provide citations for commanding officers and notable members. Spacini (talk) 19:01, 8 December 2016 (UTC)

    @Spacini: Approved. Expect an email soon. Iazyges Consermonor Opus meum 00:30, 5 January 2017 (UTC)

16. Finktron (talk · contribs · central auth · count · email) I author articles on US Navy aces primarily and have already used Fold3 in my referencing. However, I get access by volunteering with an historical organization. It would be useful to have my own separate account for bookmarking, annotating, etc. Already successfully applied for Newspapers.com access, and I believe I meet the minimum requirements. Thanks, Finktron (talk) 12:07, 21 December 2016 (UTC)

    @Finktron: Approved. Expect an email soon. Iazyges Consermonor Opus meum 00:30, 5 January 2017 (UTC)

17. Star Garnet (talk · contribs · central auth · count · email) Access to these features would help with hundreds of biographies of American diplomats that I have planned. Star Garnet (talk) 13:29, 17 February 2017 (UTC)

    @Star Garnet: Approved, expect an email soon. Iazyges Consermonor Opus meum 13:07, 22 February 2017 (UTC)