Aschaiek: Academics coming around to Wikipedia

University libraries in Canada have started to integrate Wikipedia into their operations to make their own resources more accessible, writes Sharon Aschaiek. The author surveys how several institutions across the country have mobilized the online encyclopedia to raise their libraries’ profiles on topics as diverse as transgender activism (University of Victora), Indigenous knowledge (York University), LGBTQ+ issues (McGill University), and French-language content (Université du Québec à Montréal). The University of Toronto has hired a Wikipedian-in-residence, Aschaiek adds, while Université de Montréal, Western University, Dalhousie University, the University of Guelph, and the University of Prince Edward Island have participated in Wikipedia’s annual #1Lib1Ref event, which “challenges every librarian worldwide to make the site more reliable by adding one reference.” University Affairs (National)