For almost fourteen years, Wikipedia has stirred strong emotions among librarians and educators - both pro and con. Regardless of any controversy students, patrons, and - yes - librarians are using Wikipedia, and it remains steadfastly in the top ten most-visited sites on the Internet. If patrons are going to be using Wikipedia, it is in librarians' interest to understand both its strengths and weaknesses and be able to communicate these to local patrons, students, and educators. This presentation will address these concerns and also look at how librarians can use the online encyclopedia to share their expertise and highlight their local resources. Presented at the Ohio Library Council

1. Working with Wikipedia
Leveraging
the Online
Encyclopedia
to Serve
Your Patrons
(and the World)
http://thepoliticalcarnival.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/SOPAblackout.jpg
OLC Convention & Expo 2014 - Columbus, Ohio
presented by Don Boozer

2. http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/the-simpsons/images/132824/title/simpsons-movie-pictures-fanart

3. Ya know, if we all worked
together and added good
content to Wikipedia, we
could...
Ya know, if we all worked
together and added great
content to Wikipedia, we
could...
http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/scnfs/learning/safety-ethics/?cid=fsbdev3_037391

4. What is Wikipedia?

6. + 277 others!

7. How much stuff is actually
on Wikipedia?

8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Size_of_Wikipedia

10. Who adds all that to
Wikipedia?

11. https://stats.wikimedia.org/EN/TablesWikipediaZZ.htm#editor_activity_levels

12. http://listen.hatnote.com/

13. Peter Steiner.
The New Yorker, July 5, 1993 issue (Vol.69, no. 20) page 61

15. Okay, so what does this
have to do with us?

16. Wikipedia: #6
World
1. Google.com
2. Facebook.com
3. Youtube.com
4. Yahoo.com
5. Baidu.com
6. Wikipedia.org
7. Amazon.com
8. Twitter.com
9. Linkedin.com
10.Qq.com
US
1. Google.com
2. Facebook.com
3. Yahoo.com
4. Youtube.com
5. Amazon.com
6. Wikipedia.org
7. Linkedin.com
8. Ebay.com
9. Twitter.com
10.Bing.com
http://www.alexa.com/topsites

17. http://www.imls.gov/assets/1/AssetManager/FY2011_PLS_Tables_8-17A.pdf

18. http://www.imls.gov/assets/1/AssetManager/FY2011_PLS_Tables_8-17A.pdf

19. http://stats.wikimedia.org/EN/TablesPageViewsMonthlyMobile.htm
Oh my!

20. http://stats.grok.se/

21. 60% of visitors
are using the
English version
of Wikipedia
http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/wikipedia.org

22. 49% of visitors
are coming
from search
engines
http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/wikipedia.org

23. Wikipedia Visitors: Demographics
No College
Some College
Graduate School
College
http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/wikipedia.org

24. As of September 2014, the size of just the English Wikipedia
(without images) in print volumes…
2,037 volumes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Size_in_volumes
http://what-if.xkcd.com/59/

25. Wikipedia is a monster!
http://www.ifc.com/fix/2012/01/godzilla-roars-onto-criterion-blu-ray

26. Can we
peacefully
co-exist
with the
monster?
http://godzilla.wikia.com/wiki/File:SOG_-_Minilla_Sits_On_Top_of_Godzilla.jpg

27. Yes!
http://godzilla.wikia.com/wiki/File:SOG_-_Minilla_Sits_On_Top_of_Godzilla.jpg

28. Who is
contributing to
Wikipedia?
See also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Wikipedian_librarians

29. The British Library

30. The British Library

31. National Archives
“The 4,000 Wikipedia
articles featuring our
records received
more than one billion
page views in Fiscal
Year 2013.”
~ Open Government Plan
2014-2016

32. National Archives
“In 2013, we
welcomed a full-time
employee devoted to
engaging the
Wikipedia
community.”
~ Open Government Plan
2014-2016

33. Thomas J. Watson Library at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art
“We see Wikipedia as a natural extension of one of our
primary missions, which is to make our collections known
and available to readers and researchers who can use
them. By adding links in Wikipedia, we are helping ensure
our material is discovered by a wide audience..., which is
exactly what most libraries – and digital collections in
general – strive to do.”
~ William Blueher
Sr. Library Associate
Head of Outreach for Digital Collections
Linked-in

34. Thomas J. Watson Library at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art
“Over the last 30 days, we have had 14,898 visits to the
Digital Collections. Over the same period a year ago, we
only had 4,928 visits… Of the 14,898… 57% were referred
by Wikipedia, whereas a year ago, only 31% came from
Wikipedia. As we’ve put more into Wikipedia, it has referred
more back out to us.”
~ William Blueher
Sr. Library Associate
Head of Outreach for Digital Collections
Linked-in

35. Thomas J. Watson Library at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art
“Wikipedia [is] a natural extension… one of our primary
missions… to make our collections known and available to
readers and researchers”
“As we’ve put more into Wikipedia, it has referred more back
out to us.”
~ William Blueher
Sr. Library Associate
Head of Outreach for Digital Collections
Linked-in

36. Free Access for Wikipedians!
JSTOR
British Newspaper Archive
Oxford University Press
and others...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Loves_Libraries

37. Queens Borough Public Library

38. One of our primary missions [is] to make our
collections known and available to readers and
researchers.
We want people to use our stuff!
“As we’ve put more into Wikipedia, it has referred
more back out to us.”
We want to generate stats!

39. One of our primary missions [is] to make our
collections known and available to readers and
researchers.
We want people to use our stuff!
“As we’ve put more into Wikipedia, it has referred
more back out to us.”
We want to generate stats!

40. “One of our primary missions [is] to make our
collections known and available to readers and
researchers.”
We want people to use our stuff!
“As we’ve put more into Wikipedia, it has referred
more back out to us.”
We want to generate stats!

41. One of our primary missions [is] to make our
collections known and available to readers and
researchers.
We want people to use our stuff!
“As we’ve put more into Wikipedia, it has referred
more back out to us.”
We want to generate stats!

42. “Wise selfish
people think of
others, help others
as much as they
can, and the result
is that they too
receive benefit.”

43. Okay, but where
would we start?

44. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:The_Wikipedia_Adventure

55. I’m in. What do I do?

57. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:The_Wikipedia_Adventure

61. SEMI-PROTECT THE CONSTITUTION
http://xkcd.com/285/
Slides available at
http://www.slideshare.net/donboozer
Handout available at
http://tinyurl.com/wikipedia-olc14

62. Thank you! Questions?
Working with Wikipedia:
Leveraging the Online Encyclopedia to Serve Your Patrons (and the World)
Slides available at
http://www.slideshare.net/donboozer
Handout available at
http://tinyurl.com/wikipedia-olc14
Email
donald.boozer@cpl.org