In an effort to fight systemic bias because it manifests in on-line archives, Troy High School of the Fullerton Joint Union School District organized an Edit-a-Thon occasion within the Pollak Library, the place college students are taught how one can enhance present Wikipedia articles and create new ones.
The occasion had an total three-step course of, starting with an in depth slide presentation by Troy High School scholar Lakshya Gupta, protecting how one can edit Wikipedia and offering recommendations on how one can write in addition to consider sources.
“I wanted to be able to give a presentation to people who are interested in editing Wikipedia to show them that it’s not as difficult as it sounds,” Gupta stated. “Really, everyone can do this to make a change in their communities.”
The presentation was adopted by hands-on group modifying, the place everybody labored collaboratively to make new articles and enhance present ones. The final step was to log any articles which had been improved and/or created.
The viewers was guided via numerous how-to slides, every showcasing completely different steps of the modifying course of. Examples of articles that had been edited had been “stubs,” together with WikiProject Africa, Asia and South America.
A stub, within the context of Wikipedia articles, is an incomplete encyclopedia article that comprises only some sentences or primary info, leaving room for future enlargement.
The occasion being provided to highschool college students, in addition to Cal State Fullerton college students, was a chance to carry a brand new sector of volunteer-based work not simply to CSUF, however the Fullerton group as an entire.
“I saw there were so many workshops and meetups on the calendar for Wikipedia in other regions of the world and of California,” Gupta stated. “I was thinking Southern California is very underrepresented here and especially Fullerton.”
CSUF employees additionally volunteered throughout the occasion, giving additional context to issues like authoritative sources, main sources and different assets provided within the Pollak Library.
“Since I’m in Troy (High School) and Cal State Fullerton is very close by and has so many resources, I thought this would be the ideal venue for the event,” Gupta stated.
Throughout the occasion, there was an emphasis placed on how the work being accomplished for Wikipedia is primarily volunteerbased.
“They tend to think we’re paid,” stated Josh Lim, co-organizer of the Wikimedians of Los Angeles User Group. “I have not been paid a single cent for my work of Wikipedia.”
He goes on to specific how he’d be very rich by now had he been paid for the work he has contributed and that having occasions like these reveals that there’s a human face behind Wikipedia.
“Wikipedia is written by a diverse group of people whose sole intention is to share and work on and build the sum of all human knowledge,” Lim stated.
The theme of this Edit-A-Thon occasion was “fighting systemic bias against women and underrepresented countries.”
“It resonates with me a lot. It’s something I care about,” stated third-year switch scholar Lily Bo. “I’m a sociology major, so that’s right now all I’m studying; systemic injustice and fighting back in little ways and through information is important to me.”
Eventgoers highlighted how unheard views in underrepresented communities manifest on account of them not gaining access to the suitable instruments or assets. Wikipedia has traditionally had systemic bias in direction of the communities on account of an underrepresentation of individuals of colour inside its volunteer editor base.
“I’m Filipino, I’m brown. I just happen to represent a country that we punch above our weight on English Wikipedia,” Lim stated. “We’re still underrepresented relative to wealthy, white middle-class men.”