Editor’s note: This article was originally published on April 17, 2014.
Are you a Wikibrarian? I recently became one—a librarian who edits Wikipedia (“the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit”)—and I have found the experience rewarding in the extreme. I have even stumbled into a role as an embedded consultant, helping faculty teach undergrads how to write Wikipedia articles on gender history, on which improvements are urgently needed. So what are the benefits to becoming a Wikibrarian while in library school?
Wikipedia is legit
My role as a Wikibrarian is possible because Wikipedia has become increasingly “legit” among the more open-minded educators and information professionals. Wikipedia’s rigor and quality have come a long way from Steve Carell’s classic deadpan in The Office a few years ago. Now Harvard University’s rare books library is recruiting a Wikipedian in Residence! Best uses of Wikipedia are to find background information, bibliographies, topic ideas, quick facts, and keywords. Selective editing, conflict of interest, copied and pasted text, and other problems do persist, but even the Encyclopedia Britannica has been known to error.
Meme by Michael Rodriguez
Rather than proscribe or ignore the world’s most popular resource, librarians such as Hack Library School’s Anna-Sophia are opting to teach information literacy skills that learners are able to apply to Wikipedia—precisely as they should to any resource.
Wikipedia influences people
Wikipedia is the sixth most frequently visited website globally and is among the first information stops for tens of millions of people, including half of US physicians. Wikipedia has 500 million unique visitors in more than 250 languages annually! Adding, expanding, or correcting Wikipedia content is therefore a public service—one intimately linked to librarians’ mission to connect people with information.
Wikipedia builds community
To become a Wikibrarian is to join an amazing community of editors with diverse interests and knowledge, all dedicated to disseminating and democratizing information. Endless opportunities for dialogue and collaboration (not to mention heated discussion) exist. Did you know that the Wikimedia Foundation is bringing together hundreds of Wikipedians at a fee-less WikiConference USA convention in New York this summer? You bet I sent in a proposal!
Wikipedia teaches skills
We Can Edit! Public domain image, modified by Tom Morris, via Wikimedia Commons
A lot of skills. Even if you just add citations or links, you have to pick up some Wikicode. This provides a simple, intuitive introduction to coding and a helpful segue into HTML. If you contribute substantive content, then you develop experience with what amounts to technical writing, marked by clear, precise, and detached phrasing. Encyclopedia entries thus contrast dramatically with research papers, op-eds, and book reviews, which is all the writing experience we generally get in graduate school. Wikipedians must conform to rules governing verifiability, neutrality, creditability, and no original research. Finally and most importantly, when you upload images to Wikimedia Commons, you’ll have to learn access and copyright regulations and Creative Commons licensing—vital skills in this dawning age of digital librarianship.
Wikipedia demonstrates ability
Building quality Wikipedia pages demonstrates that you have both technical skills and initiative. You’re volunteering time and expertise to a global community initiative; you’re coding text and writing copyright licenses; and you’re dedicated to open access and information sharing. You can upload or link your pages to your e-portfolio for future employers to admire. And you’re doing all this “work” for fun! Clearly you’ve got mad skills and oodles of initiative!
Wikipedia is fun to edit
Each Wikipedia article allows you to see the number of page views—a bar graph revealing how many people have discovered and learned from your content. There is no better way to reach a mass audience than Wikipedia. You can take your pick of pages on which to work, and then get to boast that you built, say, the Public Library Association wiki. Getting published as a student is challenging, whereas Wikipedia editing is a simple way to build or diversify your portfolio and impress peers, professors, and future employers. And did I mention that it’s fun?
Getting started
Go for it! Feel free to start making edits immediately. Be bold, but not reckless. Correct typos, add headings, cite sources, write content—it’s up to you.
Create Account, screenshot by Michael Rodriguez
To create an account, simply click on “Create an account” at the top right corner of any Wikipedia page, input a username and password, make 10 edits, and wait four days to be autoconfirmed as a Wikipedian. Now you can create new pages!
Are you a Wikibrarian? Would you consider becoming one? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Resources
“7 reasons librarians should edit Wikipedia” by Natalie Binder, March 22, 2014.
Wikipedia Loves Libraries builds connections between Wikipedia and librarians.
The Five Pillars are the fundamental principles that govern Wikipedia.
The Wikipedia Adventure is a fun interactive tutorial for new editors.
Wikipedia:Tutorial is another useful tutorial for new editors. It is text-heavy.
Wikipedia’s content policies document the encyclopedia’s guidelines.
Categories: Professional Life, Technology
HLS 
Reblogged this on The Victorian Librarian and commented:
As a follow-up to yesterday’s post on the Medieval Feminist Wikipedia Write-in event at Kalamazoo, here’s an interesting post on librarians using, and actively editing, Wikipedia. My becoming a Wikibrarian is looking more and more likely by the day. Who’s with me?
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Reblogged this on Work in Progress and commented:
Love this article on the value of Librarians getting involved in the Wikipedia community. For Academic librarians I think this can be a useful skill not just for professional development, but one that you can integrate into your information literacy sessions. How fantastic if you can teach these skills to your students! Active learning!!!!
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Reblogged this on 365(ish) Posts a Year.
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Reblogged this on Shelver's Cove and commented:
Check out my latest Hack Library School blog post: Editing Wikipedia While in Library School. Also known as wikibrarianing!
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