Researchers Run Event for Yorkshire Authors

6th November 2014

English and history experts at Sheffield Hallam University are hosting a Wikipedia editing event to make sure less well-known Yorkshire authors and journalists are included in the online encyclopaedia.

The event, which is open to the public, is part of Being Human, the UK's first festival of the humanities, which is funded by the School of Advanced Study, University of London, the Arts & Humanities Research Council and the British Academy. Sheffield Hallam was awarded funding to hold the event during Being Human festival week, 15 to 23 November 2014. The event, which focuses on Yorkshire authors and journalists between 1850 and 1950, will be part of a national programme of activities to inform contemporary thinking around the humanities. Dr Melodee Beals, senior lecturer in history at Sheffield Hallam, said: -We're inviting people to explore a specially-curated collection of novels and newspapers and work with Wikimedia and humanities experts to digitise images from them to enhance Wikimedia's online image repository. "We will also do a series of short talks on notable writers and journalists, highlighting individuals who, owing to their regional importance, should be included within the world's largest encyclopaedia. "People will also be given access to our online collections, and we'll work with them to create, update and expand Wikipedia entries on authors, journalists, and their works." Researchers will also lead a short tour of Sheffield to photograph relevant landmarks that will be added to the newly created and updated entries. To take part in the Wikipedia editing event, visit http://fortitudeandfrailty.eventbrite.co.uk.