Engaging student employee expertise to improve Wikipedia edit-a-thons

Abstract

Since 2007, the University Libraries at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, has had a student employee peer learning program composed of six to seven undergraduate students. The Mason Undergraduate Peer Research Coaches, known as peer coaches, work within the instruction and outreach department co-teaching library instruction sessions and connecting with students through cocurricular outreach activities. When three librarians decided to plan their first Wikipedia edit-a-thon in 2017, the peer coaches became their collaborators. Since then, the peer coaches have developed lists of resources, identified notable individuals, evaluated Wikipedia pages, and worked with students during the event at orientation, citation, information, creation, and translation stations. They have also engaged in extra projects like creating playlists, designing swag, developing a trivia game, and pop-up tabling. Because of the collaboration with the peer coaches, the edit-a-thons have developed and grown far beyond initial expectations. In this chapter, we will share the background and institutional context for our university and Wikipedia program; detail the collaborative efforts of library faculty, staff, and peer coaches at each stage; and share reflections and recommendations from the peer coaches themselves.