OCLC Prepares Librarians for Wikipedia Editing
OCLC's WebJunction to offer training for librarians interested in Wikipedia engagement
Webinar in July will preview training program and explore benefits of working with Wikipedia
DUBLIN, Ohio, 20 June 2017—This
fall, OCLC's WebJunction will offer a free, 10-week online
training program for public library staff interested in gaining skills in
Wikipedia editing and engagement in a collaborative learning environment with
public library peers.
Librarians can register now for a July 19 webinar, "Wikipedia
for Libraries: Preview the Possibilities, Discover the Opportunities,"
that will preview the fall program and describe how librarians can use
Wikipedia to connect more people to their library collections and creatively
involve community members.
The training program and webinar are part of Wikipedia + Public Libraries: Better
Together, a project designed to strengthen ties between U.S. public
libraries and Wikipedia to expand public access to
authoritative information and serve public libraries' diverse communities. The
project is funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
and the Wikimedia Foundation.
Today, people go to Wikipedia and search
engines to find a great deal of content, but they may be unsure about the
quality of that information. This training program connects public libraries to
frameworks that Wikipedia editors have developed to indicate the accuracy and
verifiability of a Wikipedia article.
"Librarians, especially public
librarians, are uniquely positioned to engage. Wikipedia is powerful;
librarians can make it more reliable," said Mary Phillips, a reference
librarian at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, who was interviewed for
WebJunction’s Spotlight series, "Librarians Who Wikipedia."
Libraries are custodians of authoritative
materials and library staff have the reference expertise to help point readers
to reliable sources. Expanding access to library collections with Wikipedia is
now easier because editors can easily add citations that link to
library resources in WorldCat, the world’s most
comprehensive database of information about library collections.
"The Wikipedia + Public Libraries:
Better Together project is designed to reinforce libraries as stewards of
quality information, standard bearers for information literacy and curators of
authoritative collections," said Sharon Streams, OCLC Director,
WebJunction.
The free, 10-week online training program,
scheduled to begin September 13, will equip public library staff with the
necessary tools and peer support to become confident in contributing to
Wikipedia and engaging their communities around it. Registration for the online
training program will begin July 19.
The preview webinar, Wikipedia for Libraries is
set for 3:00-4:00 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time) on July 19. In this webinar,
Monika Sengul-Jones, OCLC's Wikipedian-in-Residence, will highlight how
Wikipedia’s mission aligns with the work of public libraries, and guest
presenter Tiffany Bailey will share how she successfully used Wikipedia for
community outreach and partnership-building at the Dallas Public Library.
Stay up to date with developments in the Wikipedia + Public Libraries: Better
Together project on the WebJunction website.
WebJunction, a program of OCLC Research, is the place where library staff gather to
build the knowledge, skills and support we need to power relevant, vibrant
libraries.
Regards
Pralhad Jadhav
Senior Manager @
Knowledge Repository
Khaitan
& Co
Upcoming Lecture | ACTREC - BOSLA Annual lecture series (125th birth anniversary of
father of library science, Padmashree Dr. S. R. Ranganathan) on Saturday, 12th August 2017 at
Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC),
Kharghar, Navi Mumbai. (Theme |
'MakerSpace')
No comments:
Post a Comment