analyzing historical literature and the publication of their review on a modern open-access platform led to increased motivation, readership, sense of responsibility, and understanding about the importance of open-access knowledge transfer and valorization of information. In addition to the Wikipedia Education Program, Maastricht University has also been involved in a noneducational Wikimedia project: Wiki-Wetenschappers. The aim of this chapter is to provide an overview of the activities, approaches, and evaluation of the Wikipedia Education Program and the Wiki-Scientists project at Maastricht University.
Author Note
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Essers, Odin L. M. J., Maastricht University Library, P. O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht. Email: odin.essers@maastrichtuniversity.nl
Keywords
Wikimedia, Wikipedia, Wikidata, Special collections, Research-based learning, Skills and academic support, Information literacy, Historic books, Academic library courses, Social media, Open access.
Introduction
In recent years, several Dutch universities have been collaborating with Wikimedia Nederland on educational activities as part of the Wikipedia: Benelux Education Program. This program is part of a worldwide initiative that encourages academic teachers and students to share their knowledge by contributing to Wikipedia and Wikimedia projects. For example, in 2017 undergraduate students from Utrecht University wrote articles about manuscripts held by the library as part of the minor Discovery of the Middle Ages: From Parchment to the Internet. In 2019, students from the University of Amsterdam wrote articles about Dutch or Flemish book printers, publishers, cartographers, and engravers as part of the course Old Books in a New World. When developing and implementing these programs, universities often ask for support from experienced Wikipedia editors or the local Wikimedia associations if they want to organize projects or activities. The general
