Libraries Hosts Art + Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-thon

Did you know that less than 10% of the editors of Wikipedia are women? Alden Library plans to make an impact on the Wikipedia gender gap with the Art + Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-thon that will take place on March 22 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Alden Library, room 323. Participants will have the opportunity to create, improve, edit, and add content to articles about cisgender and transgender women as well as non-binary folks.

According to Michele Jennings, art librarian and co-organizer of the workshop, hosting this event will allow the Libraries to participate in the international organization Art + Feminism, which has hosted over 800 Wikipedia edit-a-thons and contributed to 33,000 Wikipedia articles since it began in 2014.

“Our goal [and the goal of Art + Feminism] really is two-fold: to not only help rectify the gap in coverage on Wikipedia for cis and transgender women, non-binary folks, and feminism and the arts; but to also help raise awareness about this gap,” Jennings explained.

During the event, the Libraries will provide snacks, laptops, tutorials and information on how to edit Wikipedia. There will also be volunteers on hand to provide guidance to those who are new to editing Wikipedia.

“We will be encouraging participants to use our collections to create and strengthen articles, and Library volunteers will be available help them do this effectively. In doing so, we hope to encourage participants to move beyond the role of information consumer, and to consider how they can enrich the information landscape—and maybe leave the internet a better place than they found it,” Jennings stated.

Jennings encourages anyone who may be interested to visit the workshop’s Wikipedia dashboard in order to link your Wikipedia account to the campaign. Volunteers can also help with the account set up on the day of the event.

“We’re hoping that attendees will come away with an understanding of the vital importance of telling our stories,” Jennings said. “…[but] even if people can’t attend, we hope that they will become more conscious of the inherent biases that exist on the internet, in reference works, and in the world around them. In the words of Art + Feminism Director McKensie Mack, ‘A+F is here to continue to smash the patriarchy through information activism.’”