[Wikipedia-l] Using Wikipedia to Extend Digital Collections

[phoebe ayers]

On 5/24/07, Fred Bauder <fredbaud at waterwiki.info> wrote:
>
>
>
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: Lars Aronsson [mailto:lars at aronsson.se]
> >Sent: Thursday, May 24, 2007 08:59 AM
> >To: wikipedia-l at lists.wikimedia.org
> >Subject: [Wikipedia-l] Using Wikipedia to Extend Digital Collections
> >
> >
> >In the current issue of D-Lib Magazine, a web journal for
> >reasearch into digital libraries, Ann M. Lally and Carolyn E.
> >Dunford at University of Washington Libraries describe how they
> >have inserted external links into (the English) Wikipedia articles
> >as a way to promote use of their library's website of digitized
> >material.
> >
> >"Using Wikipedia to Extend Digital Collections",
> >http://dlib.org/dlib/may07/lally/05lally.html
> >
> >
> >--
> > Lars Aronsson (lars at aronsson.se)
> > Aronsson Datateknik - http://aronsson.se
>
> I think this is a legitimate extension of our purpose, making information
> available. I would encourage them if they are encountered.
>
> Fred


They have been encountered :) They are great people, really enthusiastic
about the project and about Wikipedia, and this is a good paper as well --
it has actual data about how adding the links drove up their traffic.
Intuitively obvious, I suppose, but it's nice to be able to have something
to point at. The links, it should be pointed out, are to digitized special
collections of primary source material -- such as photographs from WWII or
about people from Seattle; they are historical collections only, not trying
to sell anything.

The other nice thing about this paper is it gives very explicit, step by
step descriptions of what they did, with advice -- a good resource for your
local library or museum people if they want to try something similar.

-- phoebe