DPLAfest 2016

In January 2016, two students at Washington University in St. Louis began participating in an internship program through Wikipedia, using collections in the DPLA Missouri Hub as a basis for their research and writing. During the semester long course developed by Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_Program:The_Wikipedia_Library/Library_Interns_(Spring_2016)), students will become familiar with Wikipedia editing practices, add references and citations based on original research using Missouri Hub collections, and draft articles on subjects covered in these collections. As well as helping students to develop marketable writing and research skills, the course will provide another outreach tool for Missouri Hub collections and widen the reach of these important materials. The course is also another collaborative outlet for Missouri Hub partners. To ensure the involvement of partner institutions, Missouri Hub organizations were asked to suggest collections that interns could highlight or that could be better documented on Wikipedia.

Shannon Davis, Digital Library Services Manager, who is supervising the interns during the spring 2016 semester, will present on the structure of the course, what students are expected to learn during the internship, and the impact on Missouri Hub collections and participating institutions. Institutional members of the DPLA Missouri Hub include: Washington University in St. Louis, University of Missouri – St. Louis, St. Louis University, Missouri State Library, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Missouri History Museum, University of Missouri – Kansas City, Kansas City Public Library, St. Louis Public Library, State Historical Society of Missouri, and Linda Hall Library.