of Massachusetts Lamar Soutter Library (UMass), and University of Pennsylvania Biomedical Library (UPenn).
Choosing to Host
The Wikipedia Working Group employed a suite of engagement tools to reach academic partners and raise awareness of #CiteNLM. Several libraries became involved with #CiteNLM through their established connection with NNLM as hosts of NNLM Regional Medical Libraries (UCLA, UMass, UMB). UPenn, which does not host a Regional Medical Library, learned of #CiteNLM through individual librarians’ participation in the 2019 MLA immersion session. e remaining partner libraries learned of #CiteNLM via online trainings and promotional messages distributed via social media and email.
Regardless of how they learned about #CiteNLM, academic library partners ultimately chose to host #CiteNLM events for several reasons. UMB noted that holding an in-person #CiteNLM event simply allowed for a fun, collaborative library program to engage faculty and students from across campus without much staff time needed for development. Several institutions cited the high number of residents and medical students utilizing Wikipedia on a daily basis as a driving factor. Participating in a #CiteNLM event allows medical students to learn more about this information resource and have a hand in directly improving health information widely utilized by providers and patients. In alignment with the core mission of the #CiteNLM campaigns, the desire to make Wikipedia a more credible and reliable information resource was also an important factor in why libraries decided to host #CiteNLM events. As UMass noted, engaging knowledgeable people to edit Wikipedia allows subject matter experts to share their expertise on a topic and provides the public with a more credible source of health information.
Implementation and Collaboration
UCLA and UPenn collaborated creatively with other university departments to position #CiteNLM alongside Health Literacy Month and Open Access Week. UCLA also hosted their event in conjunction with
