Wiki-Sky

“WIKISKY is a non-commercial project. The main purpose of WIKISKY is to consolidate astronomical, astrophysical and other information about different space objects and astrophysical facts.

We hope to achieve this purpose using the principle of visualization. When a person reads an article about a star, the star is only the abstraction for that reader. The person cannot emotionally feel the reality of the star without actually seeing it. We strive to create an extremely detailed sky map to help everybody to better understand the information gathering about any space object and various phenomena connected with those space objects.

There is the list of the functions that have already been implemented in our system:

• The system can display about 500 millions the space objects of the star sky.
• Information on every object maybe complemented and edited.
• There is an easy search of the objects in place.
• The users can upload the photographs of the districts of the star sky and integrate the objects on the map with the objects on the photographs.
• The first version of API is implemented.

In present moment we continue to work on the following elements of the system:

• The additional catalogues of the objects should be included in the system. The system will reflect galaxies, nebulas, and invisible in optical diapason objects.
• The objects will be integrated into the different groups.
• The priority system will be implemented. It will allow assignments of moderators. A moderator should be a specialist who can receive administrative access to the objects of his interest.
• The enhanced search will carry out the complex retrieval and look-up of the objects. The result of the search can be put on the map or retained locally as a text file.
• We would like to include more functions in our system. These functions should be useful for specialists. Some of the functions will carry out statistical or other analyses of samplings. Other functions might not be connected to the objects at all. We would require the assistance of specialists to accomplish our ambitious plans”.

More info on WIKISKY platform.

Using Wikipedia to Extend Digital Collections

In May 2006, the University of Washington Libraries Digital Initiatives unit began a project to integrate the UW Libraries Digital Collections into the information workflow of our students by inserting links into the online encyclopedia Wikipedia. The idea for this project grew out of our reading of OCLC’s 2005 report Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources [1] which states that only 2% of college and university students begin searching for information at a library web site. It is, therefore, incumbent upon Librarians to look for new ways to reach out to our users where they begin their information search.

The explosive growth of Wikipedia made it a prime candidate for our efforts at pushing information about the Libraries out to where users conduct their research. It should be noted here that our digital collections are already harvested and heavily used by people all over the world; in fact, Google and its affiliates are the top referrers of people to our collections. However, Wikipedia is fast becoming one of the top reference resources for many who are searching for information on a particular topic, and it is often one of the first references in a search results list. In fact, Wikipedia receives 54% of its traffic from Google [2]. Furthermore, referring to Wikipedia as “one of the poster children for Web 2.0″, the Pew Internet & American Life Project researchers have noted a sharp increase in the use of Wikipedia in contrast to the “sluggish growth” of Encarta [3].

Peter Morville, an information architecture and findability consultant, offers us a possible explanation for this phenomenon in a recent blog post in which he discusses how the perceived authority of Wikipedia is derived from its information architecture, visual design, governance, branding, “and from widespread faith in intellectual honesty and the power of collective intelligence” [4]. Morville argues that these structural and social aspects of Wikipedia make it more findable, and when combined with certain psychological aspects of decision making (anchoring bias and confirmation), boost Wikipedia’s perceived authority [5].

This article will describe the UW Libraries Digital Collections and the phenomenon known as Wikipedia. We will also describe the process of adding links to Wikipedia articles as well as the outcomes from the University of Washington Libraries project.

Before we move on, however, we wish to note that it is not our intention to endorse or evaluate the content of Wikipedia articles. Rather, we acknowledge the increasing prominence of this resource in our patrons’ workflows and wish to highlight our success with this project.

Full text by Ann M. Lally and Caroline E. Dunford in D-Lib Magazine May/June 2007

Wikimania 2007

Wikimania 2007, the third annual international Wikimedia conference, will be held August 3-5 in Taipei, Taiwan at Chien Tan Overseas Youth Activity Center.

Both a scientific conference and a community event, Wikimania brings together members of various Wikimedia projects in order to exchange ideas, build relationships, and report on research and project efforts.

It also provides an opportunity for Wikimedians and the general public alike to meet and share ideas about free and open source software, free knowledge initiatives, and wiki projects worldwide.

More info on Wikimania