UPDATE: Kafziel will be "leading" the event until my arrival. If anything comes up, please call me at my Google Voice number: 805-380-5128. howcheng {chat} 18:28, 18 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Who and what

The third National Archives backstage pass event will be held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum (website), in the Los Angeles area. Come for food, swag, and history in the year of the Ronald Reagan centennial! This event is inspired by similar events that have been held at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland (see Wikipedia:Meetup/NARA 1, Wikipedia:Meetup/NARA 2).

There will be a welcome presentation by staff, a behind-the-scenes tour of the grounds, including inside Air Force One, and then an editing party. Lunch will be provided for free, so don't be afraid to stay the whole day! ;-) Let us know if you have any special dietary needs when signing up.

The theme of the editing session will be Reagan-Gorbachev summits in 1985-1988 and/or the Simpson–Mazzoli immigration law of 1986. Those interested are free to skip the museum tour and dive straight into editing; the museum is also open after the editathon ends at 3 pm for self-guided tours. NARA staff will also be invited and may participate in editing with us. You can stay for the whole day, or just come for some of the day's activities. Staff will be able to guide latecomers to the group. People of all ages, political persuasions, and levels of Wikipedia experience are welcome.

Please bring a laptop if you can to help facilitate participation in the editing portion, and don't forget your cameras.

When

Saturday, November 19, 10 AM to 3 PM. Please also see our Facebook event listing.

Tentative schedule:

Where

We will be meeting in the courtyard, where there will be staff and signs to direct you.

Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, 40 Presidential Drive, Simi Valley, California. The site is located in west Simi Valley, about a 45-minute drive from central LA.

To ensure everyone who is interested is able to attend, please indicate when signing up if you need a ride and which neighborhood you are coming from, and we'll likely be able to match you up with someone willing to carpool.

What to bring

• If you would like to sign up for a researcher card, you must bring a current photo ID.
• Laptops, if you have them.
• Cameras, if you have them.
• Portable scanner (or a smartphone with a scanning app), if you have one.

Questions?

Talk to User:Howcheng or User:Dominic.

1. howcheng {chat} 19:35, 10 November 2011 (UTC) (will be late due to kids' events in the morning).[reply]
2. ♦ Luigibob ♦ ^{"Talk to Luigi!"} Note: I am a professional photographer and I will be happy to take snaps for the group.
3. 1Matt20 (talk) 00:32, 11 November 2011 (UTC) Can't wait to go, but I'm planning on staying only until 12:15, there's a Bruin game I have to see later on.[reply]
4. Theshibboleth (talk) 02:21, 11 November 2011 (UTC) Sounds great, I'll be looking forward to it.[reply]
5. Afshin10 Thanks, will be there.
6. Kafziel - Looking forward to it. Room for 1 passenger if anyone in the Silver Lake/Glendale area needs a lift.
7. Stusviews and spouse. One of us is vegetarian.
8. User:GeorgeLouis, from Frazier Park, California, using this route.
9. --Olegkagan (talk) 00:26, 17 November 2011 (UTC) - This will be fun![reply]
10. Jcoverdale (talk) 03:26, 17 November 2011 (UTC) - Thanks for the opportunity. Sounds great! From Riverside, California.[reply]
11. K♪monkey@('_')@ _Talk⇉✌
12. NatGertler - adding myself to list afterward because, even though I hadn't signed up, I was there.

• I'm interested, but I'd need a ride from Whittier Purplebackpack89≈≈≈≈ 22:22, 10 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]
• I'm a maybe. Its a bit of a drive and I have other things to do that day. Trackinfo (talk) 04:54, 11 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]
• Also Maybe here... It's a bit far for me and I have to do 2 other events that day but i really want to go! AnnBLea (talk) 09:00, 11 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]
• Not sure about my schedule that dayYesopenilno (talk) 02:19, 13 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]
• K♪monkey@('_')@ _Talk⇉✌ Lunch is free but are there any other fees (admission, parking)?
  • The event is being hosted by the library. Admission is free (and parking normally is). There are no fees. :-) Dominic·t 16:24, 17 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]

• Have a toddler I have to watch and Loma Linda is waaay but love this idea. Keep me in mind for future such events. jengod (talk) 04:02, 11 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]
• Would have loved to be able to attend but am flying out of state that morning to spend Thanksgiving with family. Had known a bit earlier, I would have move my flight back to make time for this great event. Dbiel ^(Talk) 05:08, 11 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]
• I have plans for that day already. - PKM (talk) 18:16, 12 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]
• I won't be able to attend, but thanks for the invite! Sue Kastle (talk) 18:41, 13 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]
• I regret I am unable to attend, I am Hosting an annual event that particular day. Tinkermen (talk) 08:00, 14 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]
• Jcovarru Unable to secure a working laptop, sorry.
• Can't make it >:( Yesopenilno (talk) 16:03, 19 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Note: the best way to stop notifications is to remove your name from this page: Wikipedia:Meetup/LA/Invite.

1. ...

A big thank-you to everybody who staged this event! You were all great! Some thoughts: The library was more interesting than the museum, which I found just as over-the-top as Ronald Reagan himself was. Of course, as with Reagan the man there were some genuinely affecting moments, but for the most part it was Hollywood glitz and exaggeration. It is too bad that for so many people who visit the museum, well, all they will know about Reagan years will be this Potemkin Village kind of display. But I can't fault the people who work there for that—only the designers thereof. It was really nice to meet the Wikpedians, too, and I am sorry I did not have more time to mingle with them. Sincerely, a friend to all, GeorgeLouis (talk) 03:38, 20 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]

It was a pleasure meeting you all! I thought the museum did a great job of making us feel welcome and setting up resources (and lunch); it was definitely the most successful Meetup I've ever been to. Thanks, everyone! Kafziel ^{Complaint Department: Please take a number} 07:01, 21 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I'm glad you guys enjoyed the event! If you have any photos from the day, please upload them. I'd would also like to invite anyone who is interested, or maybe a couple of you (Howcheng and Kafziel?) collaborating so we have people the whole day covered, to guest-blog about the event on NARA's official blog, NARAtions. We'll also be combining this with commentary from the archivists who hosted you at the Reagan Library. The purpose here is to set down in writing what we accomplished or enjoyed, and hopefully to encourage other presidential libraries and facilities who the blog reaches to try a Wikipedia event of their own. You can use my prior blog post on the NARA event we had here in Maryland as inspiration. Dominic·t 22:21, 21 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Here's a link to some photos http://www.stusviews.net/wikitrip/reaganlib/ Stu's Views 02:49, 22 November 2011 (UTC)