Wikimedia CEE Meeting 2025/Submissions/1lib1ref - 1 Community

ID : 6
Author(s): Claudia Serbanuta, Elena Damian, Maria-Magdalena Barascu	Username(s): Klaul, Elena Ancu Damian, MagdaBarascu	Type of submission: Lightning talk
	Affiliation: Wikimedians of Romania and Moldova User Group	Theme(s): Education, Community Engagement, Media Outreach, Partnerships, Strategy, Diversity
Abstract: The 1lib1ref 2025 campaign coordinated by Wikimedians of Romania and Moldova has consolidated a valuable partnership between the Wikipedia community and the national network of public libraries. The librarians involved in the campaign have demonstrated that their expertise in identifying, selecting, and validating trusted sources is essential for improving the quality of Wikipedia articles by adding viable and neutral references. Participants contributed not only through editing, but also by promoting the values of open knowledge, assuming a dual professional identity: librarians and Wikipedians. This transition came with challenges - in particular, balancing academic objectivity with the demands of the neutral point of view promoted by Wikipedia, and adapting to a collaborative platform, where traditional authorities of knowledge are complemented by the dynamics of collective editing. The campaign generated remarkable examples of good practices, collaborations between institutions, and editing carried out in locally coordinated sessions in city and municipal libraries. The results: 1 campaign divided into 2 editions, 4.174 contributions and 2.609 improved articles, 101 participants and a professional community more aware of its role in supporting free access to information. 1lib1ref in Romania and Moldova has shown that librarians can be catalysts for quality and credibility in the digital knowledge space. Through their commitment, Wikipedia becomes not only better documented, but also a fertile ground for education, collaboration, and inclusion.		Slides: https://w.wiki/FRGC
		Level of advancement: medium
		Special requirements:
		Recording (Yes/No): Yes
		Photography (Yes/No): Yes

How will this session be beneficial for the communities in the region of CEE? This campaign offers a proven model for GLAM engagement and demonstrates how to effectively mobilize public libraries—a trusted and widespread institution in many CEE countries—as long-term partners in Wikimedia activities. Many CEE countries share interconnected histories, cultural narratives, and underrepresented topics. Librarians, with their access to local sources, can help improve articles across languages and borders, boosting the quality and credibility of regional content on Wikipedia. 1lib1ref is empowering librarians as digital knowledge facilitators and is strengthening the CEE Region’s collective identity in the movement. This dual identity—librarian and Wikipedian—can be cultivated across the region, creating a professional movement that supports Wikimedia’s mission. In a region where media and online information are sometimes met with skepticism, this campaign demonstrates how collaborating with respected institutions (like libraries) can enhance public trust in Wikipedia. The Romanian and Moldovan example provides a roadmap for sustainable, high-impact community development that other CEE communities can adapt. It not only boosts local editing and article quality but contributes to a more unified and strategically aligned CEE presence in the Wikimedia ecosystem.

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