Wikipedia:Disrupt Wikipedia

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#DisruptWikipedia[1] is a Columbia University Libraries knowledge parity and open equity initiative founded in 2018 and launched in 2019 by Columbia University and Barnard College to use the wealth of resources of the academy, its libraries and archives - including at peer institutions - to "disrupt," dismantle and eliminate the systemic and institutional bias and inequity in representation on Wikimedia platforms like Wikipedia and its sister tools like Wikidata, Wikisource and Wikimedia Commons, and in other free-culture, free knowledge, open access, open content, open source and open-source-software movements.[2][3]

Event:Disrupt Wikipedia
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#DisruptWikipedia
Feminist Wikipedia logo by Suze Meyers
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Event:Disrupt Wikipedia
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Industrious editors

ABOUT:

As the largest site for knowledge in the world, Wikipedia has become a reference website - "the planet's library" - despite the fact that it is not a formally published resource that is paid for and edited in "traditional" ways. It is openly editable and updated constantly, exemplifying the phrase, “work in progress.”

The good parts: anyone can add knowledge which dismantles the elitism of our cultural biases. There are more pages created - and knowledge generated - every day written by people all over the world.

But what or who are the subjects of these pages? Who is writing them? From whose perspective? And why?[4]

Most Wikipedia editors have to rely on mainstream press and publications for sourcing and content - thus merely replicating (exponentially) the status quo systemic and institutional issues endemic to the Western media-publishing-journalism industrial complex cultural biases, causing even more problems with representation: skewing the lens, narrative, perspective, and culture of content creation. These issues have been extensively covered in the press, and Wikimedia Foundation Executive Director Katherine Maher explored it further[5] during the widely reported[6] Donna Strickland scandal.[7][8][9]

But those at the academy and its libraries and archives have access to much more than the average person - a plethora of journals, publications and other content that can dismantle and eliminate these structural and systemic institutional biases, thus "disrupting" the status quo. Want to learn more? Columbia Librarian Sophie Leveque talks about systemic problems within Wikipedia[10][11] on Columbia University School of Social Work's Social Impact LIVE[12][13], and Columbia's Wikipedia Fellow, Resident and Visiting Scholar Darold Cuba has written about them here[14] and here.[15]

At the Butler Library
Panel discussion

UPCOMING:

  • stay tuned for the 2020 academic year.

PAST:

1. #DisruptWikipedia #3 Transgender Awareness Week

On Thursday, November 14, 2019, from 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm, a panel discussion and edit-a-thon at Barnard College's Milstein Center Digital Humanities Center in Milstein 103: "In honor of Trans Awareness Week, the Digital Humanities Center in collaboration with LGBTQ at Columbia" hosted a wikipedia edit-a-thon to "correct inequities and boost visibility of trans individuals, activists, and organizations on Wikipedia." Barnard's Wikimedian-In-Residence & Art & Architecture Librarian Meredith Wisner presented an editing demo at the start of the event.[16]

2. #DisruptWikipedia #2: Indigenous peoples representation

On Wednesday, October 16th from 12pm-2pm Columbia University Libraries, in collaboration with Barnard College Library, hosted its second #DisruptWikipedia Edit-a-thon, a Wikimedia event series to introduce the skills, expertise, and enthusiasm of our community at Columbia University to public scholarship, to "disrupt" - dismantle and eliminate - and help bridge the gaps in systemic and institutional inequality and representation on Wikimedia platforms like Wikipedia, and in other free-culture, open access, open content, open-source software and open-source-software movements.[17]

This second iteration's theme honored Indigenous Peoples Day and the panel featured Columbia University School of Social Work Librarian Sophia Leveque and Columbia University's Wikimedian in Residence, Wikimedia Fellow, and Visiting Scholar Darold Cuba discussing the issues of representation of indigenous peoples on open software, open content open-source software, open access and free-culture movements and platforms like Wikipedia and its sister tools. Barnard's Wikimedian-In-Residence & Art & Architecture Librarian presented a demo on editing Wikipedia. We explored how the onus isn't on such marginalized communities to dismantle and eliminate the oppressive systems and institutions that cause these structural cultural issues, but on those of us who have the access, resources and privileges, especially at places like Columbia and peer institutions. [18][19]

EDITING SUGGESTIONS:

ARTICLES

PEOPLE

CREATIVE OUTPUT/IDEAS

3. #DisruptWikipedia #1: Kickoff

On Monday, September 16, 2019 from 2-6pm Columbia University Libraries hosted a kick off event for #DisruptWikipedia #1, a Wikimedia event series to introduce the skills, expertise, and enthusiasm of our community at Columbia University & Barnard College to public scholarship, to "disrupt" - dismantle and eliminate - the gaps in systemic and institutional inequality and representation on Wikimedia platforms like Wikipedia, and in other free-culture, open access, open content, open-source software and open-source-software movements.[43]

The Butler Library panel featured rockstars in the Wikiverse: AfroCrowd's Sherry Antoine, and OCLC's Merrilee Proffitt, moderated by Columbia's Wikimedian-In-Residence, Wikipedia Fellow and Visiting Scholar Darold Cuba. Barnard's Wikimedian-In-Residence & Art and Architecture Librarian Meredith Wisner presented a demo on the ins and outs of editing Wikipedia, and on the issues of representation on Wikipedia. The goal was to inspire a campus-wide community to engage with Wikipedia enthusiastically, provide space and support, and to encourage them to continue to contribute after each monthly event.[44] [45]

4. Staff & Wikipedia: How to Edit & Why We Care - A "meet-cute" for your brain.

On Thursday, July 25th from 1-5, in Butler Library 203, Columbia & Barnard Wikimedians hosted a seminar to introduce Wikipedia to the university communities "for anyone who wants to learn more about Wikipedia editing, and why library staff are particularly well-suited for contributing."

AGENDA:

  • 1-2 pm: Introduction to Wikipedia presentation and conversation led by Kimberly Springer (Curator for Oral History, Rare Book & Manuscript Library), Sophie Leveque (School of Social Work Research Librarian) and Darold Cuba (Wikipedia Fellow, Wikimedian in-Residence, Visiting Scholar).
  • 2-3 pm: Practice interacting with Wikipedia, create accounts, and add citations to subjects we are liaisons for or have knowledge and access to.
  • 3-5 pm on: Create page as a group for Columbia University Institute for Research in African American Studies (IRAAS).”

Event Details

  • Date: *coming soon
  • Time: *coming soon
  • Location: *coming soon
  • Subway:  to 116th Street station
  • Bus: M4, M5, M11, M104 buses
  • Wifi: There is wifi access, and we will give you the log in details on-site
  • Join us on social media:
  • Who can attend: Open to the public, all levels welcome!
  • What to bring: Bring your own laptop (we do have desktops available for those who need them)
  • Food: Snacks and coffee served!

Sign In Here, at Eventbrite and at the Event Dashboard

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  1. LumaNatic (talk) 00:07, 9 October 2019 (UTC)

Suggested Pages to Edit

Articles

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People

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Places

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Creative Output/Ideas

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Compiled Lists and Wikiprojects

Editing Resources

Editing Wikipedia

Wikipedia's Principles

Content Resources

Categories

References

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