Wikipedia Edit-a-thon Events

Project: Wikipedia Edit-a-thon Events

Name: Janice Lurie, Head Librarian; Meg Black, Assistant Librarian; Susan Jacobsen, Manager, Lectures & Academic Programs
Division/Department: Curatorial Division/ Art Research & Reference Library working in partnership with the Learning and Innovation Division/ Multi- Generational Learning
Other Mia departments involved: Curatorial Departments, Media and Technology (MAT), Visual Resources, Special Events, and Audience Engagement.
Project date(s): October 2015, January 2017

Audience/user: Local researchers interested in adding knowledge to Wikipedia using Mia’s library resources, global users of Wikipedia whose knowledge is enriched by our additions to the Wikipedia site.

Project Goals: The goals of the Wikipedia Edit-a-thons we hosted were four-fold: to enhance Wikipedia articles on women and African American artists, bring in more women as editors in Wikipedia, to provide more visibility for Mia as a resource on women and African American artists, and also more visibility for Mia’s research library (both inside and outside the museum) as a resource for knowledge. We chose to add content to Wikipedia because we know that it is the first place young people look when they are searching for information.

Project description:
In the modern age it is increasingly difficult, and therefore crucial, that special libraries find ways to move in tandem with recent trends and reaffirm their relevance, both within their institutions and broader culture at large. By taking elements that are traditionally embedded in Libraries and re-imagining them, the Library can become a catalyst for innovative thinking and creative inspiration. One of those traditional elements, the concept of “learning,” can be re-envisioned through contributing knowledge to Wikipedia, the world’s largest digital encyclopedia.

Education has always been a key component of our Library’s services and programs – from hosting internships for learning to helping students with their research papers to providing materials to curators for exhibition and catalog creation. Many of our programs have been successful, albeit traditional, such as lectures. We wanted to find ways to make the process of learning less passive in its engagement style in favor of participatory knowledge, so we searched for inspiration.

Our interest in Wikipedia edit-a-thons started when Janice attended the Art & Feminism Edit-a-thon hosted by the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis in March 2015. Its goal was to improve coverage of women and the arts in Wikipedia and to increase the number of women editors. The Walker’s efforts were part of a larger national trend of libraries and institutions holding edit-a-thon events. Janice was so impressed by the event that she brought it to the attention of Susan Jacobsen, Manager of Lectures & Academic Programs at Mia. Although it is not the type of program that the Library would normally host, Susan loved the idea and advocated on behalf of the Library to make it happen.

Over the course of six months across six different departments at Mia, we worked to organize our first Wikipedia edit-a-thon which was hosted as a pop-up Art & Feminism program in October 2015. Preparation happened in stages, with the help of individual departments. We contacted educators and curators and asked them for lists of women artists from Mia’s collection. Then we asked Frances Lloyd-Baynes, Content Database Specialist in the the Media & Technology department, to run a report on women artists from our collections management system. Library staff put those names in a spreadsheet and cross-checked it against Wikipedia to see which artists didn’t have pages at all or had pages that needed enhancing with information about our collection. We also took that opportunity to fill in gaps in the Library’s holdings, as it was a chance for us to check and see if we had any books about these artists. The completed spreadsheet was shared with the Visual Resources Department, who checked for the artists in Mia’s digital asset management system to see which artworks were in the public domain and reviewed the quality of the images, as they would be uploaded into Wikimedia Commons (the online repository of public domain educational media that anyone can use).

The Library and the department of Multi-Generational Learning co-organized the event, working with the Special Events department to provide food for participants and with Media & Technology to set up laptops for the public to use.  Audience Engagement promoted the event in local publications. We also had event flyers created, added a piece featuring the event to the museum’s printed Adult Talk program brochure, and created a registration page on Mia’s website as well as a Facebook Event page. A Wikipedia meet-up page was also created.

We created “toolkit” packets for participants to ensure a successful edit-a-thon. They included a Mia Library info sheet, instructional material, an editing “cheat sheet,” and a formal booklet on editing Wikipedia provided by the Wikimedia Foundation and reproductions (postcards and notecards) by women and African American artists in Mia’s collection.. The “cheat sheet” provided easy step-by-step instructions on three basic types of edits: adding information from a reliable source and citing it, adding a Wikilink (a link to another Wikipedia article), and adding an image to an article. We customized all the information to our event, but offering these basic “can do” tasks and demonstrating them during the training session ensured that all of our participants, even those who were new to editing, could have the positive experience of contributing to Wikipedia. The toolkits also included an evaluation form supplied by the Learning Innovation Division, in which participants were asked to evaluate their knowledge and comfort levels before and after the event.

It is important to recognize that the audience for this kind of event comes with varied levels of expertise and familiarity with editing in Wikipedia. Some have strong wiki editing skills, others minimal. Some have strong art history and art research skills, some minimal. It is important to provide access points and support for all levels to insure success for each individual. The library created dossiers on artists with articles and references to aid editors who might have more skills in Wikipedia editing than in art historical research. The “toolkits” served participants who had stronger skills in art history but less experience editing. A half hour training program was also presented by an expert wikipedia editor to give an introductory overview to editing. Expert Wikipedia editors circulated through the space all day to coach new editors.

To create an event where individuals develop a collective sense that we are all working together towards one goal, we provided opportunities to socialize (serving refreshments throughout the day) and visually showcased each editor’s contribution. As an editor successfully posted on Wikipedia, we recorded it on a large whiteboard so everyone could see that they were contributing to a larger aggregate of knowledge. As each entry was recorded, we rang a Tibetan gong to mark ceremoniously the successful edit. Editors also received a shortbread cookie printed with an edible image of a work of art in Mia’s collection. Year one was illustrated by Eva Gonzales (Lady with a Fan) and year two by Mequitta Ahuja (Tress IV).

The outcomes we observed after our first two edit-a-thons were overwhelmingly positive, and have encouraged us to continue hosting them. Attendance almost doubled between the two events, from 33 to 63 participants, and we also had a 66% increase in the number of articles that were improved upon, from 14 to 41. The surveys provided in the toolkits during the second event revealed that participants’ average knowledge and comfort levels increased thanks to the program (on a scale from 1 to 5, knowledge increased from 2.2 to 3.7 and comfort increased from 2.3 to 3.7). We like to think this is in part due to the fact that we rang a celebratory gong in honor of each person’s edit! We can confidently say that thanks to our edit-a-thons, there is more Mia content in Wikipedia on women and African American artists, more women have become editors in Wikipedia, and there has been more visibility for Mia and its Library as a resource for knowledge. Creating content instills a positive sense of well-being: our participating editors made lasting contributions to a global body of knowledge, and we became part of an international community of people working to make the world a better place.

Internally, the edit-a-thons were an amazing opportunity for nearly all the departments at the museum to work together toward achieving a goal.

Evaluation tools: The Learning Innovation surveys provided in the toolkits

Resources used: Staff time from LI and the Library for planning and implementation was extensive. Special Events and MAT supported the event by setting up on Friday and taking down on Monday.

Reflection

What worked? This event promoted an opportunity for staff to work in an un-siloed manner across several departments throughout the museum. This approach fostered a spirit of teamwork which enabled an ongoing  collaborative rapport with other museum colleagues. The event also brought new users to the Library. It helped the Library to identify collection development gaps, as we wanted to ensure that our Library’s holdings had the most relevant material to support research for people adding content to Wikipedia articles or for those who were creating new articles. We wanted attendees to walk away from the event with a feeling of success and excitement about becoming a Wikipedia editor. The learning tools we provided, such as the instructional toolkit packets, training session, and one-one support mentoring, provided a comfort level for those learning Wikipedia editing for the first time. We also encouraged new editors to start small and to gain initial competence with editing by adding content to existing articles.

What were the challenges? Offering advance evening sessions (when the library is normally closed) in year one to individuals to get help creating an account on wikipedia was not subscribed by users and was discontinued in year two. In year two, there were too many edits to capture by one person recording them. Building a dashboard for event second year was a crucial improvement. Resource allocation of Staff time in the Library and LI was extensive. Year two we streamlined learning from findings in year one: less food, elimination of open evenings prior to event for setting up accounts; one short training early in the day rather than two longer ones. We also realized that although a Facebook event is a great way to connect with people and let them know about the event, it won’t be an accurate indicator of attendance numbers.

What was surprising? Wikipedia structural improvements from year one to year two allowed for a much better end report on progress.

Relevance

At Mia: The Wikipedia edit-a-thon events deepen visitor engagement in the museum, making more people aware of the types of amenities Mia offers. The edit-a-thons are part of an overall empathy movement, and Mia is at the forefront of making those types of global connections.

In the museum field: Hosting a Wikipedia edit-a-thon is a great chance to evaluate your collection and fill in gaps where you might not have much in your library holdings. If someone isn’t well known, there may be a dearth of evidence available about them. There has to be reliable, published sources to cite on Wikipedia, so it is important to have realistic expectations about what’s available and make the criteria well understood by participants. Also, Wikipedia is a dynamic tool, and it goes through changes. Edit-a-thon events may evolve as Wikipedia changes, so you will want to update your toolkits and training approaches to match.

The bulk of the activity happens at the event, but follow-up is essential to make sure the event has been effective. This might include making sure the articles created/edited during the event weren’t bounced for not meeting criteria. It is important to collaborate with the local Wikipedia community and have an expert on site. We emphasize the importance of “trust but verify”: working in a global knowledge-making community means trusting others to do the work, but also verifying the standards of work.

Public: Wikipedia edit-a-thons are a great way to get more knowledge about underrepresented and underexplored people and topics online, and these events engage an instinct for empathy in the participants. As a participant you will actually actively engage with this knowledge, and that engagement leaves with you and goes beyond the walls of the museum. As an institutional library, we want to be information activists, and we want the community to engage in that activism as well.