Wikipedia:WikiProject Libraries/Introduction
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This page is intended to serve as an introduction to how Wikipedia works specifically aimed at Librarians, part of WikiProject Librarians.
Introduction to librarians for Wikipedians
Some Wikipedians who have identified themselves as librarians on Wikipedia have generously volunteered their practical expertise in the management and maintenance of information on Wikipedia. These tasks have included activities such as:
- Annotating articles with verifiable references
- Indexing of authoritative sources for articles
- Verifying the factuality of cited sources
- Creating navigational aids (such as links) for retrieval of encyclopedic information
- Organizing
- Managing
- Classifying
- Disseminating
We need a coherent statement of what we think we have to offer, based on what we do as librarians.
To do list
The to do list taken from the main project page:
- overview: (see: Overview, Frequently Asked Questions, Tutorial)
- arguments for the value of Wikipedia and for librarians to contribute to it. Good stuff here: Wikipedia:Researching with Wikipedia, Wikipedia:Schools' FAQ
- administrative structure of wikipedia: who has what powers (see: Administration of Wikipedia and Power structure of Wikipedia)
- social dynamics: use of discussion pages, how controversial pages are closely monitored, etc. etc. (see: Etiquette, Neutral point-of-view, Editing policy, Stay cool, Dispute resolution, How to use talk pages, Community Portal)
- tools: using Wikipedia, monitoring articles, finding tasks (see: Benefits to creating an account, Using watchlists, Utilities)
- etiquette: the right way to join the community and start working (see: Be bold!, Contributing, Contributing FAQ, Editing, How to edit, Copyright FAQ, Glossary)
- deeper structures: how the software development works (e.g. for dynamic pages like the ISBN page) (and I have no idea about how this works) (see: Technical FAQ)
- coordination: unless our project is on all [Wikimedia] sites (the link is a page of icon links to all of them,) then add it to Wikibooks (& Wikisource, Wiktionary, Wikiquotes, or even all if a specialized librarians join.)
Main point: we can't expect anyone to be impressed by an approach that boils down to "stand back, I'm a librarian, I'm trained to handle this". Our success will depend on our power to persuade, to come up with better ideas and to defend them.
Wikipedia as a source
- Wikipedia:Citing Wikipedia
- Wikipedia:Researching with Wikipedia
- Category:Wikipedia resources for researchers
- Category:Wikipedia as a media source
Editing Wikipedia
Main articles: Tutorial, Be bold!, Contributing, Contributing FAQ, Editing, How to edit.
The Wikipedia community
Main article: Community Portal.
Authority and administration
Main articles: Dispute resolution, Administration of Wikipedia and Power structure of Wikipedia.
If you're new to Wikipedia, you may have gained the impression from descriptions you've read that it is pure anarchy. But Wikipedia defies classification in that it mixes anarchy, democracy, meritocracy, peer review, with a rare drop of benevolent dictatorship. Except for in extreme cases (see dispute resolution, below) the editorial content of Wikipedia is decided by what the references say is true, and what the community says is notable and encyclopaedic.
Wikipedia has a large number of administrators. Administrators are experienced and trusted users, but the title does not automatically convey editorial power: admins are expected to defend their editing in the same way as all editors are, and in everyday Wikipedia editing you will not usually notice who is and isn't an admin. Administrators are given tools and duties not open to other users, but these are mainly for the purpose of tidying up Wikipedia rather than controlling editorial content.
Wikipedia has a system of dispute resolution for occasions when two or more editors are unable resolve their editing conflicts. Note that the dispute process is focused on solving problematic behavior from editors, trying to elicit consensus and cooperation based on the citation of sources and adherence to the neutral point of view policy. The mediators and arbitrators involved in the system do not hand down decisions on content from on high, although like any other editor they may participate in discussion that does lead to solutions for content disputes. The arbitrators, an elected committee of experienced Wikipedians, have the power to ban problematic users in extreme cases.