Wikipedia 'Edit-a-Thons' Being Held At UCR

Inland Empire residents who want to try their hand at creating pages for the Internet's free encyclopedia -- Wikipedia -- will have an opportunity to learn tricks and tips from a master "wiki" during a series of no-cost workshops at UC Riverside.

Starting Oct. 12, UCR Libraries will host three Wikipedia "edit-a-thons."

"We want this to be fun, but there is also a serious goal of enhancing Wikipedia as a platform of information exchange," said UCR Librarian Steven Mandeville-Gamble. "These edit-a-thons will give (people) a chance to write in a public forum and learn how to create a well-crafted information article. It also is an opportunity for us to forge stronger relations with community members beyond UCR's borders."

Longtime Wikipedia contributor Adrianne Wadewitz will supervise each edit-a-thon, aiding registrants in creating and editing articles for the online repository.

According to campus officials, during each workshop, participants will be invited to utilize UCR Libraries' collections, which include a vast science fiction archive, a huge volume of material on the famed Tuskegee Airmen, as well as materials concerning Inland Empire history, social life and politics.

Mandeville-Gamble said participants will be offered suggestions on topics they can flesh out to make their wiki debuts, but they'll be free to do whatever they choose.

"This will be a safe place for people to learn to write Wikipedia articles, receive feedback, make their articles more 'bullet proof,' use citation tools and information boxes, and effectively utilize images," Mandeville-Gamble said. "Our libraries have tremendous resources that can enhance Wikipedia articles, particularly those that relate to our unique collections and local history."

In addition to the Oct. 12 edit-a-thon, two others are scheduled on Oct. 26 and Nov. 23. Each workshop is planned at the Special Collections & Archives Reading Room of Tomas Rivera Library.

The daylong events will include free box lunches for those who register in advance, as well as free parking.

More information is available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Meetup/Riverside/WLL/2013 --City News Service