Page:Bringing Wikimedians into the Conversation at Libraries.pdf/2

 Introduction.

For hundreds of years libraries were the world's primary provider of knowledge and information, and while libraries continue to provide vital services, the landscape in which they operate has changed dramatically. One of the most dramatic components of this changing landscape, is the advance in digital access to research materials and alternative public entry points, like Wikipedia, have created challenges for strategy. To some, Wikipedia might seem like a librarian's nemesis however there is, in fact, a growing collaboration emerging between Wikipedia and the library community: libraries and Wikipedia are increasingly working together towards their common goal of providing free and open knowledge to all.

Many of the skills that make a good librarian effective in reaching their patrons, overlap with the skills of the most effective Wikipedia contributors: an interest and understanding of quality research materials; an interest in effective citation and attribution of those research materials; and clear public communication. Moreover, Wikipedia's "sum of all human knowledge" mission also closely aligns with the service-focused goals of the library profession, where patron access to the best public knowledge drives both activities.

The big difference between the two communities is in their degree of formal responsibility: librarians are trained professionals working in institutions with public charges to create information access, while Wikipedians are (for the most part) volunteers, whose interests aligns with their hobbies and values. But the closeness of the goals, skills and interest of Wikimedians and librarians, means that, often, finding the common ground for collaboration is not only a possibility, but actually quite easy. Yet, finding the right people to collaborate with on this broad, and frankly neverending, mission is an important first step to effective collaboration.

In this chapter, we are going to explore who the Wikimedia community is, and how to find the right allies in that community. Wikimedia related initiatives work best when coalitions of different types of contributors; professionals and volunteers, experienced Wikimedians and local knowledge enthusiasts, come together to enhance public access to knowledge.

Finding your allies in the Wikimedia Movement

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