Question is, why don't we all become wikipedians ourselves? If we don't
like what it is, we can make it better. And considering that many of our
users are going to wikipedia (and google) as a first stop, let's help
them find what they need. That's what we do, right?
Mary W. Elings
Archivist for Digital Collections
The Bancroft Library
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000
melings*library.berkeley.edu
Ph 510-643-2273
Fx 510-643-2548
http://twitter.com/bancroftlibrary
http://www.facebook.com/bancroftlibrary
"...whether executing a forensic analysis of a suspected
criminal’s hard drive or organizing and interpreting a Nobel laureate’s
“papers,” we are tunneling through layer upon layer of abstraction. The
more we can appreciate and respond to this new world of information, the
more effective we will become in s
At 02:53 PM 6/3/2011, Meghan L. Petersen wrote:
This is a timely
post. David Ferriero the Archivist of the United States recently
announced a "Wikipedian in Residence" at the National Archives.
Check out the lecture by Liam Wyatt
(
http://blogs.archives.gov/aotus/?p=2964). I know many
academics/Curators/Archivists/Librarians dislike the idea of Wikipedia as
a legitimate source but the arguments for being there are compelling and
ultimately I think quite necessary.
I'm hoping to start a mini Residency here at the Currier Museum of
Art.
Meghan
Archivist/Librarian
Currier Museum of Art
Manchester, NH
www.currier.org
-----Original Message-----
From: ARLIS/NA List on behalf of Joan Benedetti
Sent: Fri 6/3/2011 3:13 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [ARLIS-L] FW: Wikipedia
Dear Ray Anne and Kjersti:
Thanks very much for your inquiry and tips about Wikipedia. I have
been
considering editing (or even initiating) a couple of Wikipedia articles
and
would appreciate any additional advice anyone who has done this can
give.
Joan
----- Original Message -----
From: <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, June 03, 2011 11:53 AM
Subject: Re: [ARLIS-L] FW: Wikipedia
Dear Ray Anne,
This will not be a long answer, as my Norwegian-English dictionary
is
not at hand. :) I became a "wikipedian" almost two years ago,
and in
July I am going to Wales to give a presentation at the annual ARCLIB
confence on my Wikipedia experiences, as an architecture
librarian.
The only article I have written/edited in the English language
version
of wp, is this one, on a "real person" - and it has not been
deleted
yet:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terje_bjørklund
Most of my wp activity is in the Norwegian language version. I
understand there are differences in wp culture between the various
language versions, and some of them one gets to know the hard way,
like when a wikipedia nerd deletes an article that you know is
correct
and of encyclopaedic value! My advice is to use the "discussion
page"
that excists for every article (look at the top, above the article
text), and explain there why this article is of importance. It also
helps if you register and make a user page that says a little about
your background and knowledge of the subjects you are going to write
about. You do not have to use your real name even if you register.
When you are registered, you may follow "your" articles and
correct
"stupid" things that dogs or others do to the article - and
explain on
the discussion page why you have done it. I must say I have been
very
lucky and have found three wp-"consultants" whom I ask about
this and
that when in doubt. I edit in Wikipedia both as part of my job - and
as a hobby now. I recommend it. It is so rewarding (and
frustrating!)
and one may learn a lot from it!
I hope you get answers from colleagues that write in the English
language version, and I encourage you - and my other colleagues - to
help Wikipedia get better on art and architecture. "Google
loves
Wikipedia", and with your knowledge you may add references and
information to many of the articles that are already there and write
new ones! Good luck to you all!
Kjersti
Siterer "Lockard, Ray Anne" <[log in to unmask]>:
> Dear Colleagues,
>
> I am interested in knowing if any art librarian or VRA
colleagues have
> done any editing or writing on Wikipedia and how you have
fared. I am
> thinking about re-doing the really skimpy and useless article
there about
> Agnolo Gaddi on whom I did my MA thesis. And also
working on others if
> that experience goes well. I know the deadline for
conference papers has
> past, but this may be a possible topic for a paper in another
year.
>
> Thanks for your comments in advance.
>
> Ray Anne Lockard
>
> Bibliographer and Public Services Librarian
> Frick Fine Arts Library
> University of Pittsburgh
> Pittsburgh, PA 15260
> Voice-mail: 412-648-2410
> E-mail:
[log in to unmask]<
mailto:[log in to unmask]>
> "A book should be a ball of light in one's hands."
Ezra Pound
>
>
> From: Consortium of Art and Architectural Historians
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of marjorie munsterberg
> Sent: Friday, June 03, 2011 9:14 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Wikipedia
>
> After the discussion on caah about editing Wikipedia, I thought
this
> article would be of great interest:
>
http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/academics-in-new-move-begin-to-work-with-wikipedia/31523
>
> Reporting on my own experiences, I have to say they were
mixed. I edited
> a handful of articles about lesser 19th-c artists I happen to
be working
> on so I had the necessary information at hand, and it took
longer than I
> had expected. Some of my articles were edited or queried
at once because
> I hadn't followed the proper form, or hadn't given clear
citations for
> information. The second meant that I had to rethink how
notes worked -
> since someone else may edit the article, including any part of
any
> sentence, the notes have to be attached to the specific
information
> given, as opposed to a single one for a section, for
example. I also had
> to figure out how the tabs at the top worked, which took me
longer than
> I'm sure it should have!
>
> My experience with my students was not a success on this
round, although
> I will make it a highly structured required assignment in a
course about
> 19th-c art I'm teaching at CCNY in the fall. The few who
decided to give
> it a try as an extra credit project simply were not able to
understand
> the problems fast enough or get the correct information
quickly enough to
> make it a feasible project. One of the students took on
the article
> about Titian's Venus of Urbino, but didn't have time to change
it as she
> planned (although she may be able to do it over the summer).
Another one
> posted an new article about a 20th-c Russian artist, which was
deleted at
> once with the comment: Article about a real person,
which does not
> indicate the importance or significance of the subject.
>
> I'd be interested to hear how others have fared.
>
> Marjorie Munsterberg, Ph.D.
> Independent scholar, NYC
>
www.writingaboutart.org<
http://www.writingaboutart.org>
>
>
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