[Web4lib] Problems with Wikipedia

[Meredith Farkas]

Andrzej,

I would hope that you would caution your students to be critical of
everything they read. The Wikipedia is far more trustworthy than most
Websites for the simple fact that anyone who is knowledgeable about a topic
can come in and fix inaccuracies. Any idiot can create a Website that makes
opinion and untruths look like fact and I would bet that many of your
students are happy to cite facts from anything they can find on their topic
online. Librarians (and I'm not just pointing the finger at you Andrzej)
should stop demonizing specific Websites and should be more concerned with
students knowing how to distinguish between a quality source and something
that should not be cited in a paper.

Meredith

On 1/4/07, Mezynski, Andrzej <mezynsab at lacitycollege.edu> wrote:
>
> Paul,
>
> you sound like my apartment manager when I report a plumbing problem :-)
> (did you fix it, well why not?)
> But seriously, as an "end user" I can deal with that, but as an academic
> librarian I must consider warning students about the possibility of
> encountering strange and/or misleading and/or offensive "data" on
> Wikipedia.
> One "insensitive" sentence is easy to detect but what about  ... e.g.
> politicians removing their "love rap-sheets"?  Or ethnic groups adding
> "glorious facts" to their history?
> I don't say " Wikipedia sucks" (as you did ;-), but I share my
> experience(s), idea(s) and concern(s) with others, that's why we joined
> this forum, right?
>
> Andrzej Mezynski
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Sutherland, Paul [mailto:Paul.Sutherland at ccc.govt.nz]
> Sent: Thursday, January 04, 2007 12:35 PM
> To: Mezynski, Andrzej; web4lib at webjunction.org
> Subject: RE: [Web4lib] Problems with Wikipedia
>
> Why did you not just remove that text on seeing it - it would have taken
> less time than grumbling to the list - and you would have more insight
> into how wikipedia and it community works.
>
>
> However you wouldnt have recived a pointer to the good article
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Replies_to_common_objections
>
> Another thing to consider is how we help our customers (and colleagues)
> to understand wikipedia and its ilk - and get over the Wikipedia sucks
> feelings.
>
> I think it is always worth replying to the antis - by saying - but did
> you fix it, well why not?
>
> I like "Should I Cite Wikipedia? Probably not."
> http://www.williams.edu/library/citing/wikipedia.php
> as a good example of advice in one context
>
> /paul
>
>
>
> **********************************************************************
> This electronic email and any files transmitted with it are intended
> solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are
> addressed.
>
> The views expressed in this message are those of the individual
> sender and may not necessarily reflect the views of the Christchurch
> City Council.
>
> If you are not the correct recipient of this email please advise the
> sender and delete.
>
> Christchurch City Council
> http://www.ccc.govt.nz
> **********************************************************************
>
> _______________________________________________
> Web4lib mailing list
> Web4lib at webjunction.org
> http://lists.webjunction.org/web4lib/
>



-- 
Meredith Gorran Farkas
http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/