University Libraries

During the intersession 14 University Libraries employees gathered for our first-ever Wikipedia Edit-a-thon. The goal was to promote our special collections by adding links and photos to enhance Wikipedia pages.

Prior to the Edit-a-Thon, we selected certain digital collections (special collections that have been made available online) and finding aids (guides to our physical collections that help researchers understand what we have). Then we trained ourselves on editing Wikipedia pages that are applicable to these items.

For example, Wikipedia has a page for the Basilica de Guadalupe, north of Mexico City. We enhanced the Wikipedia entry for this church by adding a beautiful black and white 1922 postcard we have in the Marian Library Archives. See the postcard on the Wikipedia page. 

Each edit took careful consideration. Here are some links to pages and how we enhanced them with links and in some cases, photos:

• May devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary: We added an external link to our “May Crownings” article from the All About Mary website. 

• Scapular: We added an external link to our Guide to the Marian devotional scapular collection.

• Early Birds of Aviation: We added an external link to our Guide to the Bernard Whelan Collection in the University Archives.

• Our Lady of Beauraing: We added a paragraph about the Pro Maria papers housed in the Marian Library Archives.  

By the end of the hour-long Edit-A-Thon, we edited more than 50 Wikipedia pages. The group intends to reconvene to edit more as a group this spring.

For more information about our archives and special collections, visit our website. To organize your own Edit-A-Thon, visit Wikipedia’s entry on how to run one.

- Joan Milligan, catalog and metadata specialist & Katy Kelly, communications and outreach librarian