Page:The Wikipedia Library-The largest encyclopedia needs a digital library and we are building it By Jake Orlowitz.pdf/18

18 online​ ​access​ ​to​ ​an​ ​educational​ ​institution's​ ​library​ ​resources​ ​like​ ​databases,​ ​journals,​ ​ebooks, and​ ​special​ ​collections.​ ​A​ ​WVS,​ ​like​ ​a​ ​Wikipedian-in-Residence​ ​(WIR),​ ​works​ ​in​ ​partnership with​ ​an​ ​institution​ ​to​ ​help​ ​expose​ ​its​ ​content​ ​on​ ​Wikipedia.​ ​The​ ​WVS​ ​role​ ​differs​ ​in​ ​that​ ​it​ ​is remote,​ ​unpaid,​ ​and​ ​primarily​ ​focused​ ​on​ ​creating​ ​content​ ​rather​ ​than​ ​building​ ​institutional capacity​.​ ​Libraries​ ​get​ ​involved​ ​because​ ​of​ ​a​ ​desire​ ​to​ ​see​ ​their​ ​collections​ ​put​ ​to​ ​good​ ​use​ ​and​ ​to make​ ​a​ ​difference​ ​in​ ​public​ ​knowledge​ ​in​ ​one​ ​or​ ​more​ ​topic​ ​areas.​ ​Wikipedians​ ​receive​ ​access​ ​to specialized​ ​and​ ​paywalled​ ​content​ ​to​ ​expand​ ​and​ ​improve​ ​articles​ ​in​ ​topic​ ​areas​ ​they​ ​already​ ​care about.​ ​A​ ​Wikipedia​ ​Visiting​ ​Scholar​ ​at​ ​Rutgers​ ​University​ ​shared:


 * “This​ ​was​ ​both​ ​Rutgers​ ​University’s​ ​first​ ​collaboration​ ​with​ ​Wikipedians,​ ​as​ ​well​ ​as​ ​[my] first​ ​collaboration​ ​of​ ​this​ ​type​ ​with​ ​an​ ​organization.​ ​The​ ​initiative​ ​from​ ​Rutgers’s​ ​side was​ ​directed​ ​by​ ​...​ ​Grace​ ​Agnew,​ ​who​ ​has​ ​been​ ​accessible,​ ​friendly,​ ​and​ ​resourceful throughout​ ​the​ ​whole​ ​exchange.​ ​As​ ​part​ ​of​ ​this​ ​initiative,​ ​twelve​ ​members​ ​from​ ​the Rutgers​ ​University​ ​team​ ​have​ ​learned​ ​more​ ​about​ ​how​ ​to​ ​add​ ​content​ ​to​ ​Wikipedia. Aside​ ​from​ ​teaching​ ​librarians​ ​and​ ​students​ ​about​ ​Wikipedia,​ ​I​ ​have​ ​also​ ​been​ ​the student.​ ​Graduate​ ​students​ ​Yingting​ ​and​ ​Yu-Hung​ ​jointly​ ​held​ ​a​ ​video​ ​conference​ ​with me​ ​on​ ​how​ ​to​ ​access​ ​the​ ​library​ ​resources​ ​of​ ​Rutgers​ ​remotely​ ​and​ ​how​ ​to​ ​use​ ​Medical Subject​ ​Headings​ ​(MeSH)​ ​to​ ​investigate​ ​healthcare-related​ ​subjects.”​16

While​ ​the​ ​program​ ​is​ ​focused​ ​on​ ​content​ ​creation​ ​it​ ​also​ ​clearly​ ​opens​ ​a​ ​channel​ ​for​ ​exchange​ ​of ideas,​ ​making​ ​it​ ​an​ ​ideal​ ​entry-point​ ​for​ ​institutional​ ​partnerships.​ ​The​ ​Visiting​ ​Scholars​ ​program was​ ​piloted​ ​by​ ​TWL​ ​in​ ​2014​ ​and​ ​was​ ​passed​ ​off​ ​to​ ​the​ ​Wiki​ ​Edu​ ​Foundation​ ​for​ ​all​ ​North American​ ​positions​ ​in​ ​2016.

The​ ​#1lib1ref​ ​campaign​ ​(​http://​1lib1ref.org​)​ ​goes​ ​further,​ ​calling​ ​upon​ ​librarians​ ​all​ ​over​ ​the world​ ​to​ ​add​ ​a​ ​single​ ​citation​ ​to​ ​Wikipedia​ ​themselves.​ ​It​ ​was​ ​created​ ​by​ ​TWL​ ​to​ ​offer​ ​a low-barrier-to-entry​ ​option​ ​for​ ​engagement,​ ​using​ ​a​ ​combination​ ​of​ ​a​ ​microcontribution,​ ​a semi-automated​ ​interface,​ ​and​ ​a​ ​viral​ ​hashtag.​ ​The​ ​#1lib1ref​ ​campaign​ ​took​ ​advantage​ ​of​ ​the