About the Project

About Wikipedia + Libraries Resources

The materials, stories, and training curriculum available here were created during OCLC Wikipedia + Libraries: Better Together, a project from December 2016 through May 2018 which strengthened ties between US public libraries and English-language Wikipedia. The goal of the project was to expand public access to authoritative information and serve public libraries' diverse communities through library training, outreach, and awareness building. The curriculum and materials are outcomes of this initiative. The project was funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Wikimedia Foundation.

Project Background

In 2016, OCLC was selected as a winner of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation's 2016 News Challenge for its proposed answer to their question, "How might libraries serve 21st-century information needs?" OCLC's project, Improve access to knowledge and empower citizens: Amplify libraries and communities through Wikipedia was designed to deliver a national training program via WebJunction for US public library staff to build their Wikipedia skills, implement Wikipedia programming, and amplify the role of libraries as information literacy leaders in their communities.

The project was run by WebJunction program staff, OCLC Research program officer Merrilee Proffitt, and Monika Sengul-Jones, the OCLC Wikipedian-in-Residence, who joined the team in Feb 2017 supported in part by a grant from the Wikimedia Foundation.

Read more about the project's history and timeline.  

Wikipedia + Libraries: Better Together Project

The 18-month project consisted of research, building awareness, and designing and delivering a curriculum and learning opportunities to empower US public libraries to confidently engage with Wikipedia. At the center of the project was a nine-week online training program for 300 US public library staff. The materials available in the training curriculum were curated and consolidated and are now licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 and available on WebJunction.

In addition to the course and curriculum, WebJunction hosted a webinar in January 2018 for all library staff to learn about the inner workings of Wikipedia and adding citations in conjunction with the #1lib1ref campaign. Access the recording and Learner Guide on the Citations Needed: Build Your Wikipedia Skills While Building the World's Encyclopedia page.

Read all the project news.

In the News

Selected project publications and presentations:

OCLC Next Blog Post by Monika Sengul-Jones: Wikipedia the WebJunction Way

OCLC Next Blog Post by Merrilee Proffitt: Let's open library doors to Wikipedia

Video of presentation by Sharon Streams and Monika Sengul-Jones at OCLC Research Update at ALA 2017

Read more about OCLC's work with Wikipedia and Wikimedia.

Selected news coverage:

Geekwire (May 19, 2017): Geek of the Week: Monika Sengul-Jones

Wikimedia Foundation (May 11, 2017): Wikimedia Library and OCLC launch ISBN cite tool

Wikimedia Foundation grant award announcement: New grants program will fund six community-led projects

BBC News: US libraries seeking 21st Century model

Pacific Standard: Closing Wikipedia's Gender Gap

Circulating Ideas Podcast: Knight News Challenge on Libraries – WINNERS

Library Journal: Just Announced: Winners of 2016 Knight News Challenge on Libraries

Geekwire: Seattle-based project to make librarians Wikipedia stars wins $250K in Knight News Challenge

Inside Philanthropy: What Should 21st Century Libraries Look Like? Here are 14 Answers

Library Journal: Knight Foundation Names Second Library News Challenge Winners