Students and faculty learned how to edit Wikipedia pages at a Women’s History Month event in the Truxal Library on Wednesday. 

At the Wikipedia Edit-athon, librarian Sophie Reverdy taught students and staff how to edit Wikipedia articles on women, gender and the arts. 

“I hope that it’s empowering,” The event’s organizer, Reverdy, said. “[I hope] that [the event] encourages folks to get involved with something that they feel upset about or passionate about, and that they want to contribute to or make a difference in. Because there’s so many opportunities to do that.”

Reverdy said the Truxal Library partnered Art + Feminism, an “information activist group,” to host the event. 

She added the goal of the event was to expand the diversity of Wikipedia editors. 

Art + Feminism is “concerned with correcting the gender bias that’s present on Wikipedia, which is the 10th most visited website in the world,” Reverdy, who has worked as a librarian at AACC since 2016, said.  

Lakendal Burch, a first-year psychology student, said the event helped her research topics for her English class.

“I liked it,” Burch said. “I think it’s actually very helpful. When I go back to my class, I’m going to do more research.”

Greg Behrendt, another student in attendance, said this was his first time going to an event on campus. 

“I’m excited to learn and see what I can do on campus,” he said.

Reverdy said the event was her first time hosting an in-person event since 2019, and added she hopes that students “keep pursuing [their] interests and identifying areas where [they] want to dive in and change things.”