The Wikipedia Library-The largest encyclopedia needs a digital library and we are building it/Beginnings

Beginnings

"Bad​ ​libraries​ ​build​ ​collections,

good​ ​libraries​ ​build​ ​services,

great​ ​libraries​ ​build​ ​communities."
​ ​—R.​ ​David​ ​Lankes

Wikipedia​ ​is​ ​the​ ​world’s​ ​largest​ ​free​ ​online​ ​encyclopedia,​ ​with​ ​over​ ​45​ ​million​ ​articles​ ​across almost​ ​300​ ​languages,​ ​all​ ​written​ ​and​ ​edited​ ​by​ ​volunteers.​ ​Because​ ​of​ ​its​ ​requirement​ ​of verifiability—​which​ ​states​ ​that​ ​facts​ ​and​ ​their​ ​interpretations​ ​should​ ​be​ ​accompanied​ ​by​ ​a​ ​citation to​ ​a​ ​reliable​ ​source​ ​verifying​ ​them​—​the​ ​quality​ ​of​ ​Wikipedia​ ​depends​ ​on​ ​the​ ​ability​ ​of​ ​its volunteers​ ​to​ ​access​ ​the​ ​best​ ​and​ ​most​ ​reliable​ ​scholarship​ ​on​ ​a​ ​topic.​ ​Ultimately,​ ​the​ ​website's efficacy​ ​depends​ ​on​ ​readers​ ​understanding​ ​this​ ​premise,​ ​so​ ​that​ ​they​ ​use​ ​Wikipedia​ ​as​ ​a​ ​starting point​ ​and​ ​not​ ​an​ ​ending​ ​point​ ​for​ ​their​ ​research,​ ​and​ ​so​ ​that​ ​they​ ​too​ ​understand​ ​how​ ​to contribute​ ​relevant​ ​content​ ​to​ ​the​ ​project.​ ​These​ ​are​ ​the​ ​fundamental​ ​issues​ ​The​ ​Wikipedia Library​ ​was​ ​inspired​ ​to​ ​advance.

The​ ​Wikipedia​ ​Library​ ​started​ ​in​ ​2010​ ​as​ ​an​ ​English​ ​Wikipedia​ ​community-based​ ​volunteer effort,​ ​to​ ​address​ ​the​ ​lack​ ​of​ ​access​ ​to​ ​reliable​ ​sources​ ​for​ ​editors​ ​to​ ​build​ ​Wikipedia​ ​articles.​ ​The Library’s​ ​first​ ​initiative​ ​was​ ​to​ ​seek​ ​account​ ​donations​ ​from​ ​publishers​ ​and​ ​aggregators​ ​to provide​ ​access​ ​to​ ​editors​ ​so​ ​they​ ​could​ ​summarize​ ​and​ ​cite​ ​this​ ​research​ ​on​ ​Wikipedia.

An​ ​anecdote​ ​reveals​ ​the​ ​simple​ ​but​ ​powerful​ ​alignment​ ​between​ ​the​ ​interests​ ​of​ ​Wikipedia's editors​ ​and​ ​publishers​ ​of​ ​reliable​ ​sources.When​ ​I​ ​founded​ ​The​ ​Wikipedia​ ​Library,​ ​one​ ​of​ ​my very​ ​first​ ​calls​ ​was​ ​to​ ​the​ ​news​ ​and​ ​magazine​ ​aggregator​ ​HighBeam​ ​Research,​ ​to​ ​gain​ ​a​ ​few additional​ ​resources​ ​for​ ​a​ ​minor​ ​biography​ ​I​ ​was​ ​writing.​ ​Upon​ ​being​ ​asked,​ ​"for​ ​an​ ​account​ ​for me...​ ​and​ ​maybe​ ​a​ ​few​ ​for​ ​my​ ​close​ ​editing​ ​friends,"​ ​HighBeam's​ ​head​ ​of​ ​customer​ ​service remarked,​ ​"​How​ ​about​ ​1000​?"

Credo​ ​Reference​ ​was​ ​the​ ​earliest​ ​partner,​ ​providing​ ​500​ ​free​ ​accounts​ ​to​ ​top​ ​article​ ​writers​ ​in 2011.​ ​HighBeam,​ ​Questia,​ ​Cochrane,​ ​and​ ​JSTOR​ ​followed​ ​in​ ​2012.​ ​The​ ​project​ ​received funding​ ​for​ ​a​ ​pilot​ ​experiment​ ​from​ ​the​ ​Wikimedia​ ​Foundation​ ​in​ ​2013​ ​in​ ​the​ ​form​ ​of​ ​an Individual​ ​Engagement​ ​Grant,​ ​broadening​ ​its​ ​outreach​ ​efforts​ ​and​ ​developing​ ​community capacity​ ​to​ ​scale.​³ ​The​ ​editing​ ​community's​ ​enthusiastic​ ​reception​ ​and​ ​positive​ ​participation​ ​in the​ ​program​ ​led​ ​to​ ​TWL​ ​being​ ​incorporated​ ​into​ ​the​ ​Wikimedia​ ​Foundation​ ​in​ ​2014​ ​as​ ​part​ ​of what​ ​is​ ​now​ ​the​ ​Community​ ​Engagement​ ​department.

From​ ​the​ ​beginning,​ ​The​ ​Wikipedia​ ​Library​ ​set​ ​ambitious​ ​and​ ​broad​ ​goals​⁴:

⁠Connect​ ​editors​ ​with​ ​their​ ​local​ ​library​ ​and​ ​freely​ ​accessible​ ​resources

⁠Facilitate​ ​access​ ​to​ ​paywalled​ ​publications

⁠Build​ ​relationships​ ​among​ ​editors,​ ​librarians,​ ​and​ ​cultural​ ​heritage​ ​professionals

⁠Facilitate​ ​research​ ​for​ ​Wikipedians​ ​and​ ​readers

⁠Promote​ ​broader​ ​open​ ​access​ ​in​ ​publishing​ ​and​ ​research.

TWL​ ​advances​ ​these​ ​efforts​ ​through​ ​a​ ​global​ ​branch​ ​strategy:​ ​ ​22​ ​different​ ​Wikipedia​ ​language projects​ ​now​ ​have​ ​TWL​ ​branches,​ ​including​ ​French,​ ​German,​ ​Arabic,​ ​and​ ​Finnish.​⁵​​ ​Global efforts​ ​are​ ​driven​ ​by​ ​a​ ​core​ ​team​ ​of​ ​staff,​ ​contractors,​ ​and​ ​over​ ​100​ ​volunteer​ ​coordinators,​ ​which allows​ ​insights​ ​from​ ​one​ ​branch​ ​to​ ​be​ ​shared​ ​with​ ​others.

The​ ​Wikipedia​ ​Library​ ​works​ ​in​ ​tandem​ ​with​ ​the​ ​broader​ ​GLAM-Wiki​ ​movement​ ​(Galleries, Libraries,​ ​Archives,​ ​and​ ​Museums).​ ​The​ ​budding​ ​community​ ​of​ ​practice​ ​around​ ​Wikipedia​ ​and Libraries​ ​is​ ​a​ ​sign​ ​of​ ​a​ ​radical​ ​shift​ ​in​ ​the​ ​nature​ ​of​ ​authority​ ​and​ ​knowledge​ ​production:​ from scholarly​ ​credentials​ ​and​ ​expertise​ ​to​ ​literate​ ​evaluation​ ​of​ ​myriad​ ​references,​ ​from​ ​individual authors​ ​imbued​ ​with​ ​the​ ​authority​ ​of​ ​the​ ​academy​ ​to​ ​diverse​ ​crowds​ ​of​ ​contributors​ ​with​ ​varying levels​ ​of​ ​expertise.​ ​Three​ ​reflections​ ​illustrate​ ​the​ ​profound​ ​transition​ ​in​ ​which​ ​Wikipedia​ ​has come​ ​to​ ​be​ ​seen​ ​as​ ​an​ ​essential​ ​part​ ​of​ ​the​ ​information​ ​and​ ​research​ ​literacy​ ​ecosystem:

"Wikipedia​ ​is​ ​increasingly​ ​becoming​ ​the​ ​go-to​ ​reference​ ​resource​ ​for​ ​the​ ​newest generation​ ​of​ ​students…​ ​Librarians​ ​and​ ​faculty​ ​should​ ​help​ ​remove​ ​the​ ​stigma​ ​associated with​ ​Wikipedia​ ​by​ ​embracing​ ​this​ ​Website​ ​and​ ​its​ ​imperfections​ ​as​ ​a​ ​way​ ​to​ ​make information​ ​literacy​ ​instruction​ ​valuable​ ​for​ ​the​ ​twenty-first-century​ ​student."​⁶

"When​ ​asked​ ​to​ ​contribute​ ​to​ ​a​ ​wiki—a​ ​space​ ​that's​ ​highly​ ​public​ ​and​ ​where​ ​the​ ​audience can​ ​respond​ ​by​ ​deleting​ ​or​ ​changing​ ​your​ ​words—college​ ​students​ ​snapped​ ​to​ ​attention, carefully​ ​checking​ ​sources​ ​and​ ​including​ ​more​ ​of​ ​them​ ​to​ ​back​ ​up​ ​their​ ​work…​ ​Instead of​ ​blindly​ ​consuming​ ​the​ ​content,​ ​they​ ​understand​ ​where​ ​the​ ​research​ ​comes​ ​from​ ​and how​ ​it​ ​gets​ ​there.​ ​In​ ​the​ ​past,​ ​we've​ ​told​ ​them​ ​not​ ​to​ ​use​ ​Wikipedia.​ ​That's​ ​insane.​ ​Rather than​ ​saying,​ ​'It​ ​doesn't​ ​have​ ​a​ ​place​ ​in​ ​the​ ​academy,'​ ​let's​ ​explain​ ​to​ ​students​ ​how​ ​it​ ​can be​ ​used​ ​as​ ​a​ ​tertiary​ ​resource.​ ​It's​ ​not​ ​the​ ​end-all​ ​and​ ​be-all​ ​of​ ​research,​ ​but​ ​it's​ ​incredibly useful."​⁷

"Producing​ ​information​ ​for​ ​others​ ​in​ ​online​ ​environments​ ​can​ ​give​ ​young​ ​people​ ​a starting​ ​point​ ​for​ ​reflecting​ ​on​ ​where​ ​information​ ​comes​ ​from;​ ​such​ ​experiences​ ​support second-order​ ​information​ ​literacy​ ​skills,​ ​which​ ​require​ ​students​ ​to​ ​reflect​ ​on​ ​the​ ​nature​ ​of information​ ​production…If​ ​we​ ​want​ ​to​ ​develop​ ​a​ ​more​ ​local,​ ​shared​ ​sense​ ​of responsibility,​ ​continuing​ ​efforts​ ​to​ ​incorporate​ ​public​ ​information​ ​production​ ​in classrooms​ ​should​ ​include​ ​opportunities​ ​for​ ​students​ ​to​ ​support​ ​and​ ​challenge​ ​one another​ ​in​ ​justifying​ ​and​ ​critiquing​ ​claims,​ ​as​ ​is​ ​done​ ​by​ ​co-authors​ ​on​ ​Wikipedia."​⁸

The​ ​Wikipedia​ ​Library​ ​did​ ​not​ ​create​ ​this​ ​trend,​ ​but​ ​it​ ​has​ ​helped​ ​accelerate​ ​it​ ​through​ ​efforts​ ​to improve​ ​the​ ​work​ ​and​ ​lives​ ​of​ ​Wikipedia's​ ​editors,​ ​readers,​ ​and​ ​the​ ​network​ ​of​ ​librarians​ ​that support​ ​them.​ ​TWL's​ ​annual​ ​#1lib1ref​ ​campaign​ ​built​ ​on​ ​that​ ​momentum​ ​with​ ​a​ ​simple​ ​social media-friendly​ ​call​ ​to​ ​action:​ ​ ​imagine​ ​a​ ​world​ ​in​ ​which​ ​every​ ​librarian​ ​added​ ​one​ ​more reference​ ​to​ ​Wikipedia.​ ​Imagine​ ​a​ ​world​ ​in​ ​which​ ​librarians​ ​were​ ​as​ ​much​ ​contributors​ ​to Wikipedia​ ​as​ ​they​ ​are​ ​critical​ ​consumers​ ​of​ ​its​ ​content.