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Writing Women in STEM into Wikipedia

This guide is a landing point for information about the Writing Women Scientists into Wikipedia Editathon 2021. A partnership between Oregon State University Libraries and Press, Stanford Libraries, and AfroCROWD.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Illustration by Autumn Paris

 

General Information

Join Oregon State University Libraries, Stanford Libraries, and AfroCROWD on Friday, March 19 at 1 pm and ending at 5 pm (Pacific). This event is informal and you can drop in (and out) at anytime, according to your interests (see schedule below). The event is free. Registration is required.

The goals of the event are to:

  1. For beginners: Add one citation or one sentence to Wikipedia. Or, improve the readability of a Wikipedia page (edit).
  2. Improve and add biographies about women in STEM (in particular, women who have lived and worked on the west coast of the US).
  3. Increase awareness of the benefits of contributing to Wikipedia.
  4. To enhance the confidence of skills of scientists to edit Wikipedia.

Schedule for the Day (Check back for updates)

Join us to add more information about women in STEM into Wikipedia! This will be an online editathon that includes training and breakout rooms in Zoom, along with a slack channel to ask questions of the trainers or other participants. Join us for the afternoon, or for the trainings that interest you.

Editing and conversation will happen throughout the afternoon in the "Main lobby". Individual sessions will take place in breakout rooms.

Friday, March 19, 1:00 (Pacific) - 5:00 (Pacific)

1:00 Hello and Welcome  (main lobby)

Brief overview of the editathon schedule and format. +20 minute talk and conversation led by OSU librarians "The trouble with Wikipedia - women and the gender gap".

1:30-3:30 (breakout room 2)

Join Pete Forsyth (Wikipedian, Oregonian, and Wiki Strategies) in this breakout room to learn more about, and work with, Wikidata.

1:30-2:00 Training for Beginners (breakout room 1)

Join Diana Park (OSU Librarian and co-instructor of the OSU Honors Course, "Wikipedia and Information Equity"). In this breakout room you will obtain a username (if you don't have one) and learn how to do basic editing in Wikipedia.

2:00-2:30 Review of women in STEM biographies identified for improvement (breakout room 1)

Join Amanda Whitmire, Stanford Librarian, and Tiah Edmunson-Morton, OSU Archivist and Librarian, and Ella, High School intern, as they review the articles they've identified for expansion. They've been preparing folders of information to share with you, to cut down on the amount of "research" you need to do before you start editing!

2:30 - 3:00 Drafting your first full article in the sandbox (breakout room 3)

NEW! Interested in drafting your first article in the sandbox? Join Laurie and she'll show you the basics of how the sandbox works, adding content, and publishing your page!

3:00-3:30 Instructor conversation about teaching with Wikipedia (breakout room 1)

Are you an instructor who has used Wikipedia in class? Or are you considering using Wikipedia? Come and chat with Laurie Bridges and Diana Park, who teach "Wikipedia and Information Equity" a two-credit course at Oregon State University. This is an open conversation (round table) where we can learn from each other.

3:30-4:00 Writing with an Archivist (breakout room 1)

Join OSU's Tiah-Edmunson Morton as she actively edits and writes for Wikipedia. She'll walk you through her personal process from identifying Women brewers (her passion project), conducting research, and adding to Wikipedia.

3:30-4:00 Training for Beginners (breakout room 2)

Join Laurie Bridges (OSU Librarian and co-instructor of the OSU Honors Course, "Wikipedia and Information Equity"). In this breakout room you will obtain a username (if you don't have one) and learn how to do basic editing in Wikipedia.

4:15-5:00 Open Share (main lobby)

At the beginning of the event we will have a google spreadsheet where you can sign up to talk for 5 minutes (or less) about something you have worked on today, or at any time, relating to Women in STEM in Wikipedia. The sign up sheet will be used to determine the order of participants who are sharing. 

 

What is a women in STEM editathon?

PRIZES!

ThCover of the book, 10 Women who changed Scienceanks to a grant from the Wikimedia Foundation, we will be offering small prizes for the top three contributors! 

First prize: The book 10 Women Who Changed Science and the World and a Wikipedia water bottle.

Second and third prize: The book 10 Women Who Changed Science and the World

(Note: In support of independent bookstores, these books were purchased from Underground Books, in Sacramento, California).

Rules: Your username must be registered on the event dashboard so that we can track your contributions. You must live in the US or Canada (due to the costs of delivery). We will track contributions for a 24 hour period starting at noon on March 19 and ending at noon March 20 (Pacific).

Questions?

If you have any questions, please contact Laurie Bridges, Laurie (dot) Bridges (at) oregonstate.edu.