Sutherland Shire Libraries Staff News

Wikipedia has put out a FAQ especially for Librarians so we can know exactly what it is and isn't.
I found it very interesting to see that it is the 5th most read webpage in the world. Therefore we as information professionals should be well aware of it's uses and pitfalls, so we can inform the public .

These statements I have reproduced are the ones that jumped out at me .

• The basic premise of Wikipedia - that mass collaboration, over time, will produce high quality material. And in December 2007, the German magazine Stern released a study concluding that the German Wikipedia was more accurate, complete and up-to-date than the longstanding print encyclopedia Brockhaus - the Encyclopedia Britannica of Germany.
• One thing that is great about Wikipedia is that it allows anyone to correct a mistake. On Wikipedia a mistake can be, and often is, fixed instantly. Wikipedia has a variety of filters and bots designed to prevent vandalism before it's completed, or revert it immediately after it's done. So, most vandalism is never seen by anybody.
• We believe that Wikipedia is an excellent starting point for research, and can be particularly useful for getting a quick and reasonably accessible overview of a particular topic area. Wikipedia can also be remarkably detailed and comprehensive, particularly in subject areas such as technology and science. But we don't believe that anyone should accept what they read on Wikipedia (or anywhere) uncritically.
• Particularly for pop-culture or non-traditional encyclopedic topics, Wikipedia may be the quickest, most accessible source of information for many patrons and students. This extends to librarians as well. But, Wikipedia's quality is not uniform, and evaluating articles is important! One way is to read the article's history.

These are the most important points in the FAQ, but there are some other good links and much information about how you, as a librarian, can help make Wikipedia better and if you are really keen how to become an editor!