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Towards an activist research: Is Wikipedia the problem or the solution?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 November 2020

Alexandra Duncan
Alexandra Duncan*
Affiliation:
Academic Support Librarian Chelsea College of Arts (UAL) 16 John Islip Street LondonSW1P 4JUUKa.duncan@chelsea.arts.ac.uk
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Abstract

Is the internet a tool for democracy or the manifestation of the global digital divide? Using the colonization of the internet as a starting point, this article outlines some current issues with knowledge equity, asking if democratic open access products like Wikipedia are the solution or another manifestation of the systemic bias of society. Whilst acknowledging librarianship has its own colonial legacies to address, the suggestion is made that critical librarianship can provide a response in the form of library–based edit-a-thons and Wikipedia workshops. These show how the power of Wikipedia can be used responsibly not just for enabling critical information literacy, but as an instrument for activism. In considering librarian interventions done so far at the University of the Arts, London, the article outlines future practical possibilities for decolonization, as well as looking more widely at how to democratize information in open access products and the Western publishing that sits behind them.

Type
Research Article
Information
Art Libraries Journal , Volume 45 , Issue 4 , October 2020 , pp. 155 - 161
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of ARLIS

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