Library to Host Art+Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon

January 29, 2014
SLISHelenCWhiteWikipedia
Art+Feminism Edit-A-Thon at the SLIS Library

Wikipedia’s gender trouble is well documented: a 2010 survey revealed that less than 13% of Wikipedia contributors identify as female. The practical effect of this disparity is clear: with more articles on notable women missing when compared to Encyclopedia Britannica, Wikipedia is clearly skewed. This represents a huge inequality in an increasingly important repository of shared knowledge.

 Art + Feminism Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon is a full day of communal updating of Wikipedia entries on subjects related to contemporary art and feminism with 24 satellite events taking place across the United States and internationally. One of those is at UW—Madison.

A Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon in action for Ada Lovelace Day (Brown University, 2013)
A Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon in action for Ada Lovelace Day (Brown University, 2013)

Sean Owczarek, graduate student from UW—Madison’s School of Education and avid Wikipedia editor, decided to organize a Madison chapter of the Art+Feminism Edit-A-Thon in an effort to bridge the gender gap. He is working with the SLIS Library and the SLIS Coding Initiative to get a group of new editors, mostly female, together. The group plans to kick off the event with a Wikipedia entry on UW—Madison’s beloved Helen C. White.

Tutorials will be provided for the beginner Wikipedian as well as reference materials and desktop computers (but bring your laptop and power cord, if you prefer). The event is open to the public, and new editors are especially encouraged to attend!

You can promote this event by hanging this poster in your department, library, or office.

At a glance:

  • What: Art + Feminism Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon
  • When: Saturday, February 1, 2014, 1–5 p.m.
  • Where: School of Library & Information Studies (SLIS) Library, 4191 Helen C. White Hall (fourth floor)
  • Parking: HC White Garage (Lot 6), City of Madison Parking Ramp on Lake Street, or metered parking on Langdon Street.

Questions? Contact Sean Owczarek sowczarek@wisc.edu for more information on the Madison event. You can also read about the project on Wikipedia:Meetup/ArtAndFeminism or see the Art+Feminism Tumblr for more details.