WikiProject Agriculture: Be an Agricultural Wikipedian

Authors

Dana W.R. Boden, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow

Date of this Version

5-6-2014

Document Type

Article

Citation

Lightning Round session presented Tuesday, May 6, 2014, at the 14th Biennial Conference of the United States Agricultural Information Network (USAIN) in Burlington, Vermont. The conference theme was "Sustainable Agriculture: Stewardship of Our Information Ecosystem."

Comments

Copyright (c) 2014 Dana W. R. Boden

Abstract

Wikipedia will be 13 years old in 2014. It is ranked the 6thmost visited site on the World Wide Web. Many librarians and information specialists have a love hate relationship with this open access, free internet encyclopedia. Searching for agricultural information sometimes exposes a lack of information or existence of entries on specific topics, inaccurate information, or results in the frustration of a research dead end from unreferenced articles. Wikipedia is, of course, a collaboratively edited resource. A Wikipedia WikiProjectis a group of contributors working together to improve the Wikipedia information and the pages on a particular topic or subject area.WikiProjectAgriculturecurrently lists 76 members: many are agricultural producers, from various parts of the world, some list academic degrees and research experience. One member identifies herself as a science librarian.Inthe past year only 463 changes have occurred within the WikiProjectAgriculture. Agricultural information specialists, such as USAIN members, are logical potential participants to be involved in improving and expanding Wikipedia’s agricultural related topics and articles. Be a part of providing quality content, updating, improving, editing, providing sources, or fact-checking areas in your subject specialty. How to take a role in shaping the future of this WikiProjector others, and become involved at a level with which each contributor is comfortable, will be highlighted.