Search results

The purpose of this paper is to examine motivators that drive Black Wikipedia contribution. The authors explore motivations around content contribution, effects of gender on motivations and self-perceptions of Black Wikipedia labor.

A total of 318 Black American Wikipedia contributors completed an online survey. The authors employed both quantitative and qualitative methods in the study including descriptive statistics, multivariate (MANOVA) and univariate (ANOVA) analysis of variance to examine gender differences in Wikipedia content contribution. In addition, open-ended responses were evaluated, through content analysis, to make inferences on their perceptions of Wikipedia labor.

This paper identifies racial identity and perceptions of information quality as strong motivators in content contribution among Black Wikipedians. Motivators are gender variant; men are more motivated than women with the lone exception being racial identity. Additionally, the study identifies Wikipedia as a contested space among Black contributors and is a site of resistance.

Black Wikipedians information activity is a relatively new and understudied phenomenon. This paper presents new insight and a deeper understanding of Black Wikipedians’ motivations for information sharing behaviors in the most popular encyclopedia on the internet.

Purpose – ‐‐ The purpose of this paper is to examine and evaluate five open access state encyclopedias.Design/methodology/approach ‐‐ Each encyclopedia is discussed and evaluated separately in regard to the following categories: web design, search functionality, features, scope, and currency.Findings ‐‐ The paper finds that, while many of the evaluated state encyclopedias provide different types of information with varying web design and structure, the end product is the same: offering free, authoritative articles and other media for anyone to access on a given topic related to the selected state. While some encyclopedias are continuously updated with new material and have better interfaces, features, and search functions, each site is valuable for the authoritative information it provides.Originality/value ‐‐ The state encyclopedias discussed are all open access resources that provide scholarly, authoritative information in an easily accessible format. Through evaluation of the web design, search features, currency, and scope and content, librarians can assist their users with searching and locating information in these encyclopedias.

‐‐ The purpose of this paper is to examine past, current, and future usage of encyclopedias.Design/methodology/approach ‐‐ The paper reviews the history of encyclopedias, their composition, and usage by focusing on select publications covering different subject areas.Findings ‐‐ Due to their static nature, traditionally published encyclopedias are not always accurate, objective information resources. Intentions of editors and authors also come into question. A researcher may find more value in using encyclopedias as historical documents rather than resources for quick facts.Practical implications ‐‐ Academic librarians may begin to invest more selectively in encyclopedias, whether in print or electronic format, and market them differently to students and faculty.Originality/value ‐‐ This article explores the academic value of encyclopedias in the twenty‐first century.

Develop a comprehensive framework for assessing the knowledge organization systems (KOSs), including the taxonomy of Wikipedia and the ontologies of Wikidata, with a specific focus on enhancing management and retrieval with a gender nonbinary perspective.

This study employs heuristic and inspection methods to assess Wikipedia’s KOS, ensuring compliance with international standards. It evaluates the efficiency of retrieving non-masculine gender-related articles using the Catalan Wikipedian category scheme, identifying limitations. Additionally, a novel assessment of Wikidata ontologies examines their structure and coverage of gender-related properties, comparing them to Wikipedia’s taxonomy for advantages and enhancements.

This study evaluates Wikipedia’s taxonomy and Wikidata’s ontologies, establishing evaluation criteria for gender-based categorization and exploring their structural effectiveness. The evaluation process suggests that Wikidata ontologies may offer a viable solution to address Wikipedia’s categorization challenges.

The assessment of Wikipedia categories (taxonomy) based on KOS standards leads to the conclusion that there is ample room for improvement, not only in matters concerning gender identity but also in the overall KOS to enhance search and retrieval for users. These findings bear relevance for the design of tools to support information retrieval on knowledge-rich websites, as they assist users in exploring topics and concepts.