Submissions:2017/Service, Sororities, and the Gender Gap

This submission has been noted and is pending review for WikiConference North America 2017.

• Title: Service, Sororities, and the Gender Gap

Theme (optional)

• Advocacy & Outreach
• Education
• Community
• GLAM

Type of submission

• Presentation

Author

Kelly Doyle

E-mail address

• kelly.doyle@mail.wvu.edu

Username

KellyDoyle

Affiliation

• Wikipedian in Residence for Gender Equity, West Virginia University Libraries
• Board Member, WMDC

Abstract

How can we, as a movement, gain more editors? How can we get more women to contribute to Wikipedia? How can we close the gender gap and increase content on WIkimedia projects about women? In my time as the Wikipedian in Residence for Gender Equity at West Virginia University Libraries, I’ve had the opportunity to work within academia to find new and innovative ways to answer some of these questions. One way we can work together towards solving some of these problems is through various service models. The service model I propose is one in which credit or community service is given to the volunteer in return for their participation in a Wikimedia project. The specific model I’ve found to have measurable impact is with sorority women on college campuses in the United States. Four universities within the U.S. have now agreed to give sorority students the required community service credit for editing Wikipedia articles about women. This is a great success for the students, the university, and our movement as the students gain necessary service credit, the university gains a cohort of young writers who are socially minded, and the Wikimedia community gains new editors who are interested in adding content about women. I believe that this sorority service model can be replicated with the support of Wikimedians. However, this model could easily be replicated in many different ways beyond this specific model to increase participation in Wikimedia projects. I seek to explore these topics and possibilities within this presentation after detailing my findings and measures of success.

Length of presentation

• 20 minutes

Special requests

• N/A

Preferred room size

• 25

Wikimania submission?

• Yes (not accepted)

Will you attend WikiConference North America if your submission is not accepted?

• Yes

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