Page:Wikipedia and Academic Libraries.djvu/134

Rh access, free content, Internet encyclopedia, supported and hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. Wikipedia operates on five principles called the Five Pillars: (1) the identity of Wikipedia as an encyclopedia; (2) adherence to the neutral point of view; (3) free content that anyone can use, edit, and also distribute; (4) respect and civility must exist among Wikipedia editors; and (5) Wikipedia has no firm rules (Otis, 2020). Librarians and other new editors are introduced to Wikipedia with trainings on the five pillars. The five pillars are fundamental principles that guides Wikipedia: - they summarize and provide an understanding of what Wikipedia is in five key points to Wikipedia editors. Information on who can edit, how to edit, collaboration, what Wikipedia is not, the type of contents to add, type of resources to work with, copyright law, online etiquette, and the ruling pattern of Wikipedia forms the content of the five pillars. These make it very essential for new editors, including librarians, to be educated on the five pillars for a smooth sail in the Wikipedia world especially during editing activities.

Wikipedia and Librarians in Africa: Brief History and Future Directions

Wikipedia has become an important source of free knowledge around the globe. In Nigeria, the New Readers Outreach Survey (2016) found that 23 percent of the total population was aware of Wikipedia and 43 percent of those were students (Wikimedia, 2020). Despite this awareness and use, Africa, a continent that is rich in cultures, languages, and music, lacks adequate representation of Wikipedia editors. is gap can be filled by librarians.

Information literacy strives more in the absence of language barriers and this is of high relevance in providing free access to information for all—which is the key aim of libraries and Wikipedia. Hence, in order to fill the existing gap, there is a need for partnerships between African libraries and Wikipedia projects to provide authoritative and reliable resources for the Wikipedia users. These partnerships will transform and encourage a wider acceptance of Wikipedia through