Montana State University Library will host a Wikipedia edit-a-thon, focusing on the topic of water. This is our first-ever edit-a-thon, and our goal is to create and improve Wikipedia articles about water in Montana. Colorado State University has organized a group of institutions to participate, with individual meetups all connected via video conferencing. No specialized knowledge of the subject is needed; we'll have librarians, subject experts and library and archival resources on hand as well as a list of suggested topics.

There will be free refreshments available to give you the energy you need for all your research breakthroughs.

We hope you’ll join us!

WHEN: Tuesday, October 21st, 2014 from 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Come when you can, stay as long as you like.

WHERE: Montana State University, Renne Library, in the Innovative Learning Studio on the first floor. Every participating institution will have additional meeting places.

WHO: Anyone! Everyone! All are welcome, including...

• Experienced or new Wikipedians (We will provide assistance with Wikipedia formatting and syntax).
• Anyone with an interest in water issues, improving public information or democratic discourse.
• Amateur historians or research pros (We will have a selection of MSU resources and a mini reference desk available for your use. We can also pull additional materials from the collection as needed).
• MSU faculty, staff, and students.
• Members of the community.

Please bring your own laptop if possible. We will have some library laptops available for those without a computer and will help you access the university's wireless network. For directions and parking information, click here

WILL THERE BE FOOD? The most important question! Yes, we will provide free food and drinks.

There will be a Skype session open to every concurrent edit-a-thon. Questions and ideas can be exchanged between groups and editing efforts can be coordinated. We'll be updating the Topic Page in real time, with editors signing next to articles they're working on, so anyone with a Wikipedia account can log on and do the same. So far, Wikipedians from

Colorado State University

Washington State University

University of California Riverside

Colorado Mesa University

have all agreed to have their own meetups at their locations to work on this project!

The following are topics that MfSU Library staff have identified as needing attention, but participants are encouraged to pursue their own interests as well. Hyperlinked topics already have Wikipedia articles, but may need citations, or more information.

Some of these topics are mentioned briefly in other articles, so if you create a new article, try to search for that topic in Wikipedia so that you can create links back to your work.

Sign up for the article you'd like to work on here: (Topic Page in development, feel free to add)

People

Institutions

Rivers

• List of Rivers of Montana
• List of rivers by length
• Missouri Headwaters State Park
• Black_Canyon_of_the_Yellowstone
• Yankee Jim Canyon

Lakes

• List of lakes in Montana

Reservoirs

• List of dams and reservoirs in Montana

Environmental Issues

• Climate change in Montana
• Berkeley Pit

Legal Issues

• Water law

Historical Events

• History of Montana

Weather/Flooding/Drought Events

• 2011 Missouri River Flood

Businesses/Organizations

General

• Hydropower

Gold in Montana

• Alder Gulch

Water research and advocacy groups

• Montana AWRA (Website)
• Montana University System Water Center (Website)
• Montana Watershed Coordination Council (Website)
• Montana Wetland Council (Website)

Resources coming soon!

• GLAM Beginners Guide
• Wikipedia Tutorial
• Citation guide
• Formatting Shortcuts -
  • Text Formatting
  • Section Headers, Indents, and Lists
  • Links

Please add your name (or Wikipedia username, if you have one) below if you are planning to attend:

1. Sara Mannheimer
2. Leila Sterman

1. Mike Cline