Join us for Open Access / Wikipedia Loves Libraries!
We will work to improve Wikipedia's coverage of underrepresented groups in Massachusetts and U.S. history. All participants, in-person and remote, are welcome.

When: Wednesday October 12th, 2016, 4:00-7:00pm

Where: Digital Scholarship Commons in the Northeastern University Libraries. Make a right as you come out of the main library stairwell on the second floor.
Street address: Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115.

Focus: Massachusetts History and Social Justice

Food? Yes! We will provide pizza.

You do not need to be an experienced Wikipedia editor in order to attend, just bring a willingness to learn.

Shortcut to this page: http://bit.ly/NUOA16

Event Details

Interested in the history of activism? Want to learn some basics of creating new Wikipedia articles? Join us to increase Wikipedia's coverage of people, places, events, and organizations important to Massachusetts history and activism in the U.S., in honor of Open Access and Wikipedia Loves Libraries.

Northeastern's campus is near the Ruggles stop on the Orange Line or the Northeastern stop on the Green Line E Branch. More driving and parking directions are available here.
Please RSVP: either add your signature below, email the organizer, or sign up on the Meetup.com page so we know how many to expect.
If you would like to prepare ahead of time, try this training module which will help explain a lot of things, including how to add your signature.

About Us

Since 1998, the Northeastern University Archives and Special Collections Department locates, secures, and makes accessible the most important and at-risk historical records of Boston's African American, Chinese, GLBTQ, and Latino communities, preserving the records of Boston-area social justice organizations that serve under-represented communities. The Digital Scholarship Group, also part of the library, opened in January 2014 and develops new tools and methods in representation, analysis, and dissemination of scholarship, teaching researchers at all levels about those new techniques, while also strengthening Northeastern’s expertise in research methods that engage and question the effects of the digital medium on culture and communication

Schedule

If possible, create your Wikipedia account ahead of time. If you can't, that's not a problem: we will help you at the Meetup. On the day of, you will just need to bring a laptop and power supply.

4:00-4:15pm: Check-in and welcome.

4:15-4:45pm: Beginner intro to Wikipedia editing for those that want it

4:45-7:00pm: Edit party!

Logistics

Location and directions
Twitter: @ClubSnell or @Snell_Research
WiFi: Use NUWave-guest -- we will give out an access code in person
What to Bring: Attendees should bring their own laptops and power cords, and will need a photo ID to sign into the library. Just let the front desk staff know you are here for the edit-a-thon.
Contact the organizers: If you have questions ahead of time, contact Amanda Rust. For directions and help finding the building on the day of, call the library's Circulation Desk at (617) 373-8778.

Sign Up and Guest List

Attending

Participating Remotely

Regrets

Suggested Topics

Suggested articles for improvement and new articles to create, focused on Massachusetts and U.S. activism, but of course you are not limited to this list! Developed with help from the Northeastern University Archives and Special Collections.

Articles to improve (Boston/MA history)

Expand on these articles, or add groups to Timeline of Boston.

Articles needing expansion

Ted Landsmark -- Could use expansion on his great deal of local work with the BRA and in educational arenas, as well as the importance of photo in reducing support for anti-busing movement.
Ruth Batson -- Much good content in need of re-organization and increased secondary sources.
La Alianza Hispana -- Article already has clear suggestions for improvement, including writing style, citation style, and types of sources cited. View guide to the records at Northeastern.
Roderick L. Ireland -- A stub-level article. First African-American justice appointed to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in its then 305-year history and its first African-American chief justice. Ireland retired from the Supreme Judicial Court in 2014.
Frieda Garcia -- A stub-level article. Hispanic activist and community leader in Boston. Garcia became the first director of La Alianza Hispana, an organization dedicated to the needs of lower income Hispanic families. In 1981 Garcia became the director of United South End Settlements. During her twenty year tenure at United South End Settlements she spearheaded programs centered on housing, literacy and job training. She recognized a need and opened the first open-access computer center in the city of Boston.
United South End Settlements -- An article that could use expansion in the history section with reference cleanup and more work incorporating secondary sources.
National Association of Black and White Men Together -- Umbrella organization of a group whose papers are held at Northeastern, could use additional secondary sources and expansion of history section.
Byron Rushing -- There are many additional newspaper sources on his work, needs expansion of personal life, career, and references section.
Bay State Banner -- Very stubby article on the major African-American newspaper in Boston. Expand with history, publication location, etc. Use The Chicago Defender, Los Angeles Times, and other newspaper articles as models.
Bay Windows -- Very stubby article on the major LGBTQ newspaper in Boston. Expand with history, publication location, etc. Use The Chicago Defender, Los Angeles Times, and other newspaper articles as models.
Restore Our Alienated Rights (ROAR) -- A stub article with lots of clear suggestions for improvements, about the major group fighting against desegregation during the Boston busing desegregation in the 1970s.

New articles

Boston Gay Men's Chorus -- Founded in 1982, is a 175-voice ensemble focusing on creative programming and community outreach. The BGMC sings a wide spectrum of classical and popular music and creates social change by providing a positive, affirming image of the gay and lesbian community. The Chorus is heard live by more than 10,000 people each season and thousands more through recording, television, and internet broadcasts. In November 2013 CBS-WBZ named the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus one of the "top 5" choruses in the city of Boston.
Nancy Caruso -- May run into notability issues, so write with that in mind. Community activist and educator and co–founder of the North End Waterfront Central Artery Committee, instrumental in conversations around Big Dig and its transformation of the North End.
Rena Margulies Chernoff -- A Holocaust survivor who spoke at several Holocaust Survivor testimonials sponsored by Northeastern University’s Holocaust Awareness Committee in the early-late 1990s. She co-wrote the book, “The Tailors of Tomaszow: A Memoir of Polish Jews,” with her son Allan Chernoff, a former CNN correspondent.
Elvira “Pixie” Palladino -- East Boston community activist opposing the desegregation of the a Boston Public Schools. She served two terms on the Boston School Committee, and she helped found the anti-busing group, Restore Our Alienated Rights (ROAR).

Wonderful WikiProjects and more to-do lists (U.S. history and beyond)

Greater Boston and Massachusetts history sources

Through NU Libraries

Free on the Web

Wikipedia help

Understanding Wikipedia's standards

Understanding Wikipedia's organization and markup

Results

New articles created

Articles expanded or improved

Event Photos