Empowering diverse stories of cultural heritage
Tony Pankuch works as an archivist for the Drs. Nicholas and Dorothy Cummings Center for the History of Psychology at the University of Akron in Ohio, where part of their work involves increasing the representation of diverse voices from the institution’s collections in their programming, exhibitions, and social media. So when Tony saw an opportunity … Continued
Bringing U.S. women’s history to the public
Sarah Emma Edmonds was a veteran of the 2nd Michigan Infantry during the American Civil War — in which she served as a man named Frank Thompson. Or did she? Until earlier this year, Wikipedia’s article on her had a warning banner indicating the article contained disputed information. That made the article on Edmonds ripe … Continued
Centering diversity in stories of Mississippi’s history
As an exhibits content specialist for the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Jessica O’Connor’s job is to help center diverse voices in the stories they tell. So when she heard about the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative (AWHI) Wiki Scholars course for Smithsonian Affiliates, focused on improving Wikipedia biographies of notable American women in … Continued
Amplifying Iowan women’s accomplishments through Wikipedia
This spring, the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative (AWHI) hosted a series of Wiki Scholars courses with Wiki Education, focused on training Smithsonian Affiliates in how to create biographies of American women relevant to their local communities and collections. One such Smithsonian Affiliate is Grinnell College in Iowa; public librarian Monique Shore often collaborates with … Continued