University of Washington Digital Collections Uses Wikipedia

Library, University of Washington 1922

The librarians at the University of Washington Libraries, Digital Initiatives unit, are reaching out to where many users first begin an information search - Wikipedia. They are inserting links into this popular online encyclopedia. The links are increasing the impact of the digitized materials in the UW collections, providing direct access beyond the traditional boundaries of the library.

The University of Washington Libraries Digital Collections are comprised of over 120,000 images, text, and audio files covering a wide range of topics and resources. Special strengths are in Seattle history and people and places of the Pacific Northwest. These collections average 3,600 visits a day. The ongoing project to insert links into Wikipedia involves assessing the subject areas of the collections and matching them to existing Wikipedia articles. In some cases, new articles have been created to inform the user about a unique collection. An example is the J. Willis Sayre Photographs, a selection of nearly 10,000 images of theatrical and vaudeville entertainers who performed in Seattle from 1900-1955.

Beauty line from 'The Midnight Sons', 1911, Moore Theatre, Seattle

Wikipedia is a free, online encyclopedia collaboratively written by its users. With over 1.5 million English-language articles, it is fast becoming one of the top reference resources. Part of the appeal is that the articles are well organized and categorized. The liberal use of links - to other Wikipedia articles and to outside resources - makes it a good starting point for information searches. While anyone may contribute to Wikipedia, there are policies, guidelines, and forums which govern the creation and editing of content, including tools to minimize spamming. Furthermore, Wikipedia content may be copied and distributed freely. Copies of articles with the University of Washington links can be found in a number of other online dictionaries and encyclopedias.

Including links in Wikipedia is an excellent way to increase access to the University of Washington Digital Collections as well as to participate in the creation of information resources around the world.


Material for this post is from the May/Jun 2007 issue of D-Lib Magazine, "Using Wikipedia to Extend Digital Collections" by Ann M. Lally and Carolyn E. Dunford of the University of Washington Libraries. Images are from the University of Washington Libraries Digital Collection.