The University Library announced that it will present a pair of Wikipedia workshops this Friday (Oct. 18), both in the Library Instruction Lab at Shields Library. Phoebe Ayers, physical sciences and engineering librarian, will lead both workshops.

• Editing Workshop and Hands-On Edit-a-Thon — First, a short class (10:30-11:15 a.m.) for new and beginning editors in how Wikipedia works, why getting involved in it matters, and how to get started. Then (11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.), a hands-on workshop in editing and improving articles using UC Davis library resources. Bring your Wikipedia questions and topics that you are interested in working on (you don't need to be an expert!) or see the to-do list for ideas. Attend both parts, or just the hands-on section.

• Teaching with Wikipedia — It’s being done around the world, writing for Wikipedia as a way to teach such skills as media literacy, critical thinking, expository writing, collaboration and research skills. How do these assignments work, and what are some best practices? This workshop, geared toward faculty, staff and graduate students who teach with writing and research assignments, will provide a brief introduction to Wikipedia editing, show some sample assignments and resources available for faculty, discuss the difficulties of having students write in a real-world editing environment, and explore ideas for classroom projects. 2:10-3:30 p.m.

Follow Dateline UC Davis on Twitter.