Leveraging Wikipedia : connecting communities of knowledge

Title:

ISBN:

9780838916322

Publication:

Chicago : ALA Editions, the American Library Association, 2018.

Physical Description:

vii, 263 pages : illustrations; 23 cm

Contents:

Introduction: Why Wikipedia and libraries? / Merrilee Proffitt -- What are galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (GLAM) to the Wikimedia community? / Andrew Lih -- Connecting citizens and the military: the experiences of the Pritzker Military Museum & Library as a GLAM institution in Wikipedia / Theresa A.R. Embrey -- Bringing Wikipedians into the conversation at libraries / Alex Stinson, Jason Evans -- Minding the gaps: engaging academic libraries to address content and user imbalances on Wikipedia / Kelly Doyle -- The Wikipedia library: the largest encyclopedia needs a digital library, and we are building it / Jake Orlowitz -- Wikipedia and education: a natural collaboration, supported by libraries / LiAnna L. Davis -- Wikipedians and new service models: an exploration / Lily Todorinova, Yu-Hung Lin -- Edit-a-thons and beyond / Sara Snyder -- Embracing Wikipedia at the New York Public Library: a personal view / Bob Kosovsky -- Wikidata and libraries: facilitating open knowledge / Mairelys Lemus-Rojas, Lydia Pintscher -- Wikipedia and Wikidata help search engines understand your organization: using semantic web identity to improve recognition and drive traffic / Kenning Arlitsch, Justin Shanks -- Bringing archival collections to Wikipedia with the Remixing Archival Metadata Project (RAMP) editor / Mairelys Lemus-Rojas, Timothy A. Thompson -- "I'm a librarian on Wikipedia": U.S. public librarianship with Wikipedia / Monika Sengul-Jones -- Becoming a Wikipedian / Merrilee Proffitt.

Abstract:

"This book takes a fresh look at Wikipedia and considers collaborations that will improve the visibility of library collections and the quality of Wikipedia"-- Provided by publisher.

The vision statement of the Wikimedia Foundation states, "Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge." Libraries need not see Wikipedia as competition; rather, failing to leverage its omnipresence in the online world constitutes a missed opportunity. As a senior program officer at OCLC, Proffitt has encouraged collaboration between Wikipedia and cultural heritage institutions, leading to increased visibility and user engagement at participating organizations. Here, she brings onboard a raft of contributors from the worlds of academia, archives, libraries, and members of the volunteer Wikipedia community who together point towards connecting these various communities of knowledge. This book will inspire libraries to get involved in the Wikipedia community through programs and activities such as: hosting editathons; contributing content and helping to bridge important gaps in Wikipedia; ensuring that library content is connected through the world's biggest encyclopedia; working with the Wikipedia education community; and engaging with Wikipedians as allies in a quest to expand access to knowledge. Speaking directly to librarians, this book shows how libraries can partner with Wikipedia to improve content quality while simultaneously ensuring that library services and collections are more visible on the open web. ICALA.

Subject Term:

Wikipedia and libraries.

Title Subject:

Wikipedia. (OCoLC)fst01795979

Local Subject:

LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE COLLECTION

Added Author:

Proffitt, Merrilee

Available:

Library	Call Number	Material Type	Status
Searching... State Library of Oregon	030 Lever	4-Week Loan	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

hosting editathons; contributing content and helping to bridge important gaps in Wikipedia; ensuring that library content is connected through the world's biggest encyclopedia; working with the Wikipedia education community; and engaging with Wikipedians as allies in a quest to expand access to knowledge.

Speaking directly to librarians, this book shows how libraries can partner with Wikipedia to improve content quality while simultaneously ensuring that library services and collections are more visible on the open web.

Summary:

"This book takes a fresh look at Wikipedia and considers collaborations that will improve the visibility of library collections and the quality of Wikipedia"--

Reviews (2)

Choice Review

This is an introduction to Wikipedia and its development since 2002. There are 15 well-written chapters by academic, public, and special librarians on all aspects of the free online Wikipedia including its sister sites. Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, and its volunteer editors and writers have done an excellent job with the much-needed research tool. According to the contributors, all writers of Wikipedia are committed to providing excellent, quality information. It is published in about 300 languages, and the English Wikipedia is the largest and is used by about 500 million people every month. Editor Merrilee Proffitt (OCLC Research) offers a unique volume, but some information has been repeated in numerous chapters. According to the contributors, a majority of the editors and writers of Wikipedia are white. Therefore, diversity is needed. This book is certainly a good introduction to its subject and is recommended for all collections. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty. --Ravindra N. Sharma, emeritus, Monmouth University

Library Journal Review

This title distinguishes itself from the many books on the history of Wikipedia by exploring the mutual benefits of Wikipedia and libraries working together. Who better than librarians to provide quality sources to strengthen existing articles? Proffitt (senior program officer, OCLC Research) and contributors who represent academia, archives, libraries, and Wikipedia communities illustrate the development of relationships between cultural heritage institutions and "Wikipedians." Each chapter focuses on a collaborative project (such as Wikipedia Commons, Wikisource, or Wikidata), OCLC's Wikipedian in Residence program (created by Proffitt), or an activity such as hosting an editathon. The book clearly and concisely shows how these collaborations effectively create more robust communities of knowledge. Readers unfamiliar with these projects will find this book informative and may even be inspired to become Wikipedians. VERDICT A worthwhile resource for all librarians and students.-Susan E. Ketcham, Long Island Univ. Post Lib., Brookville, NY © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.