Q1: Tell me about your beginnings. How did you become a “Wikimedist”?

R: First I became a “wikipedist”. I started editing on Wikipedia thanks to a professor at the Complutense University who proposed giving an extra point in his subject, History of Cinema, to whoever wrote or improved an article in the encyclopedia. I created the article by Doris Dörrie, a German film director, and have been editing ever since. Later, five or seven years ago, I began to meet other people who edit Wikipedia and I discovered Wikimedia Spain (WMES). I joined and for three years I have been part of the board of directors and, since last week, president.

Q:Did you ever think that you would become president of Wikimedia?

R: Never. He could imagine that there were people who edited Wikipedia, but he had never met them. I was also not aware of this structure (Wikimedia) where people associate to do work or to promote the use of Wikipedia. This is why I never thought I could be president.

Q: What direction is the organization going to take for the next three years? 

R: This year we have to review and propose the strategy for the next three years. In principle, we have in mind to focus on education and releasing content, that is, having a relationship with libraries, archives and museums so that they make images from their collection available to the public. For example, that the Prado Museum releases and allows us to upload photographs of its collections or that the National Library allows us to use books that are in the public domain. It is education, content and heritage. 

In addition, we are also immersed in a fight against disinformation. Wikipedia is affected by this and fight strategies must be established. 

Q: What challenges on a personal level have you set for yourself within the organization?

R: I have proposed to change the perception that teachers have about Wikipedia and, therefore, the content must be improved so that it is a source that can be used in classes.

Q: It is the first time that Wikimedia Spain has more women in management positions. Do you think this is going to have transcendence in society? In what way?

R: We are few Wikipedia editors within the Wikimedia movement. Usually, we also assume other roles such as coordinating or proposing activities. In this aspect, the fact that we are represented on the Board of Directors is important because we are few but we do very significant things.

Q: You are a professor at the Faculty of Communication Sciences of the URJC. How does WMES benefit universities?

R: The contents of Wikipedia help students and teachers to have a first approach to a topic and these, in turn, help improve the content. In fact, we have a project with the Madrid+d Foundation for Knowledge and Innovation in which we are going to ask Madrid's public universities to get involved in improving science articles in Spanish. This project occupies a large part of our agenda.

Q: Your strategic direction is summed up as follows “by 2030, Wikimedia will become the essential infrastructure of the free knowledge ecosystem” What do you mean?

R: It means that by 2030 we hope to be the benchmark. We want people to think of Wikipedia when they think of free knowledge. The concept of free has to do with the licenses of use, which guarantee that anyone can use or reuse materials on the web.