Wikipedia can be a great place to get info about art and artists, but it has long lagged in including women, people of colour and Canadian artists. To remedy this, several organizations, including the AGO, have begun hosting “edit-a-thons” to help increase the diversity of representation on this online research site.
Inspired by events in New York, a Toronto event was launched in 2015 at AGO – the WFLC space was optimal for hosting dozens of participants and the AGO library provided vast resources, not just in terms of materials but in knowledgeable and organized volunteers! When the first session produced good results it became a quarterly event – a recent one in March focused on Art & Feminism (in honour of International Women’s Day). Posts on Facebook, plus coverage in the AGO Insider and local media helped bring in around 50 attendees. According to librarian Amy Furness, there were over 500 edits worldwide.
Why are these events important? Wikipedia contributors tend to be young white males working in isolation. The edit-a-thon model turns this around to have people of diverse backgrounds working collaboratively. With participants forming pairs or small groups of 3-4 in a public space, there is a buzz of energy and a spirit of helping. The actual editing is cooperative, supportive and welcoming to newbies; the physical visibility piques interest from passersby.
So, how does it work? Wikipedia is open to almost anyone to add or edit entries (they have an editorial board that will check for accuracy and completeness). For the edit-a-thon, the AGO supplies suggested topics to write about or flesh out, focusing mostly on artist biographies. The artists do not have to be part of the AGO collection, and participants can also work on their own artist of interest. The work can be very basic – such as starting with editing sexist terms in existing entries, then moving on to expanding or creating entries for lesser represented artists. Entries are written to conform with Wikipedia’s guidelines regarding relevance and secondary sources. Participants can use AGO laptops or bring their own, and can continue researching and editing on their own afterwards.
The AGO library supplies research materials for the topics – “access” volunteers help writers use online search tools and retrieve materials for which there is no direct public access. They also bring out subject and artist files from the library’s vast holdings – physical materials such as news clippings and ephemera (tickets, photos, exhibition and travel info, even artists’ personal notes from AGO acquisitions) can be very enlightening. Entering information from the AGO files helps add to what is often a meager amount available online for lesser known artists, creating a searchable database for future use.
AGO Library volunteer Vanessa Lameche has helped at a number of events. For her one of the best parts is using library resources in unexpected ways. With 4-5 AGO volunteers per event, plus more from the sponsoring organization, it’s also a chance to meet and visit with volunteers from other shifts.
The next event is Wednesday, June 21, from 5-9 pm in the WFLC. (Future ones will be held in soon-to-be-opened expanded library space). Librarian Amy Furness reminds potential participants that you don’t need experience, and you don’t even need to write to contribute – helpers are needed to research and edit as well. It’s the collaboration that counts!
Read here about recent Black Canadian History and Art + Feminism edit-a-thons (see also Art + Feminism 2016 and Art + Feminism 2015).