Fundraising 2012/Translation/Andrea appeal

Appeal

Serendipity is one of my favorite things in life. You go looking for one thing and – bam! – you find something else, something important, something meaningful. Everything clicks, and it feels like magic.

It happens all the time in bookstores, or among the open shelves of a library. And it happens on Wikipedia.

One of the things I love about Wikipedia is the way it takes serendipity to a whole new level. It has never been so easy to stumble across something and say "oh, this is cool," then let it lead you somewhere else unexpected.

It happened to me. In college I studied math, and for my final project, I transcribed an ancient text on the history of mathematics. That's how I discovered Wikisource: an open digital library of classic works in the public domain.

I fell in love with this idea. Now, I work in the digital library of a university, helping preserve priceless works of knowledge for future generations.

A lot of the time, the greatest treasures are the things you find when looking for something else. That’s the way I feel about life — and about Wikipedia.

— Andrea Zanni

Bio

Andrea Zanni is 28 years old. He was born and raised in Sassuolo, near Modena. After earning his undergraduate degree in mathematics, he turned to the field of digital library studies (he has a thing for books). A Wikisource volunteer since 2005, he is a member of the Board of Wikimedia Italia.