Special Collections to Host Virtual LGBTQ Wikipedia Edit-a-thon

Are you looking for a way to meaningfully contribute to your community- without leaving your living room?

During the week of July 13 to July 17, 2020, Special Collections is sponsoring an edit-a-thon that will focus on strengthening representation of LGBTQ individuals, events, and issues on Wikipedia. An extension of the Documenting LGBTQ Life in the Lowcountry project, this weeklong event will give participants an opportunity to learn how to write and edit Wikipedia articles, sharpen their research skills, and empower them to address gaps present in LGBTQ-related Wikipedia entries. Participants will be provided with a curated list of articles for revision and creation based upon ongoing efforts to collect, organize, and document the Lowcountry’s understudied and underrepresented LGBTQ history.  

Wikipedia is the largest open access encyclopedia in the world. Students and researchers from all educational backgrounds use it as a jumping-off point for research. Unfortunately, it suffers from representational bias. LGBTQ articles, which are often short and lack robust sources, are commonly flagged by Wikipedia as not notable enough to be written about. Participants will help push back against the lack of LGBTQ representation on Wikipedia by using resources in our collections to strengthen these articles. 

Whether you have the time to edit ten articles or can only add a single sentence, no contribution is too small. Anyone is welcome to join and no experience is required! Training will be provided. 

You can view a list of articles to be edited, learn more about LGBTQ Life in the Lowcountry, and complete easy to follow Wikipedia training modules on the LGBTQ Lowcountry Wikipedia Edit-a-thon LibGuide. Sign up for the event here or email lgbtq@cofc.edu with questions. 

Happy editing!