Wikidata is increasingly important in linked data spheres and can be a useful component to a range of digital scholarship projects. This session will provide a brief overview and training on how to add and edit in Wikidata, followed by a working session for participants to try out this essential resource. During the session, we will be working together to help improve the visibility of women faculty members at ISU by using a dataset to add entries for people who were employed at the University prior to 1920.
When: Tuesday, February 4, 2025, 2-4 p.m.
Where: Digital Scholarship Lab at Milner, Milner Library Floor 1
Registration: Free and open to all students, faculty and staff, no need to register
More information: Participants can feel free to arrive and depart as needed and to bring a laptop or use one of the computers in the Digital Scholarship Lab
Why Wikidata?
Wikidata is a centralized, human and machine readable repository for linked open data, meaning the information is freely available for anyone to use for a variety of projects. This WikiEdu article offers a simple and informative explanation of how Wikidata is a powerful tool both inside and outside Wikimedia Foundation projects, which include Wikipedia and a host of others. Wikidata brings authority control and structured vocabulary to entries, which allows more precise search queries and linking objects and information across collections and institutions. The implications for increasing the visibility of projects and collections is one important aspect of Wikidata, so too is the potential for research and revealing insights into information through searching and sorting.
Initiatives to ensure continuing access to free and open data are an essential component of the research landscape and one that anyone can support through adding and editing in Wikidata.
This event is a great chance to step away from your desk, have some coffee, learn a skill alongside peers, and contribute to an important civic initiative. This session is open to all students, staff, and faculty, and participants can feel free to arrive and depart as their schedule allows.
The Digital Scholarship Lab Guide has more information on spring 2025 events and programs, including workshops, speakers, and other opportunities for engagement.
