Page:The Wikipedia Library-The largest encyclopedia needs a digital library and we are building it By Jake Orlowitz.pdf/9

9 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