“Wikipedia Town Handbook” has been published by Japanese Wikipedian

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On December 2024, a book titled “Wikipedia Town Handbook (ウィキペディアタウン・ハンドブック)” has been published in Japan by Bungaku-Report Co., Ltd (文学通信). The author is Kazuto Aoki, Japanese Wikipedian. Wikipedia Town is a Wikipedia edit-a-thon, an event where local residents try to post information about their town on Wikipedia. The first such event was held in the UK in 2012, then in Japan it has been held in various places since 2013, and the term “Wikipedia Town” has become established.

Wikipedia Town held in Tahara City, Aichi Prefecture, 2017 (Asturio Cantabrio, CC BY-SA 4.0)

The author has been involved in the establishment of Wikipedia Town in Japan from the beginning and has been one of the people who has promoted their implementation in various regions. He compiled his own experiences and wrote this book as a handbook that will be useful for future events.

The book consists of seven chapters, with the first chapter explaining what Wikipedia is and what each of the Wikimedia Foundation’s projects are, followed by an explanation of what Wikipedia Town is. Chapter 2 tells the practical history of Wikipedia Town in Kyoto Prefecture, where the author lives. Chapter 3 explains how to collaborate with local libraries, and Chapter 4 explains what you should know about participating Wikipedia Town.

Chapter 5 introduces the 14 communities that have hosted Wikipedia Towns throughout Japan. These include the Open Data Kyoto Practice Group, to which the author belongs, and edit Tango, which has published many reports in Diff. There are also public libraries such as the Nagano Prefectural Library and the Wikipedia Bungaku Executive Committee, which focuses not on local information but on literature. Furthermore, Chapter 6 introduces initiatives derived from Wikipedia Town, such as events themed on art and cultural assets, and the WikiGap, which aims to eliminate the information gap for women.

Wikipedia Town held in Tahara City, Aichi Prefecture, 2017 (Asturio Cantabrio, CC BY-SA 4.0)

The last chapter, Chapter 7, “How to Organize a Wikipedia Town,” contains detailed explanations of everything from how to prepare for the event to how to proceed on the day of the event. A list of references is included at the end of the book.

The subtitle of this book is “A Must-Have for Libraries, Municipalities, and Town Development Officials,” and it is intended to help many stakeholders implement Wikipedia Town smoothly. It is a comprehensive guidebook on Wikipedia Town in Japan, and I was able to learn that steady practices are being carried out in many places. I hope that many activities will spread and hopefully lead to cooperation with other countries. Because Wikipedia is an encyclopedia that covers the whole world, it becomes better when people from all over the world contribute together.

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