Creating Quality Digital Content: The Wiki Librarian Project

Abstract

The Wiki Librarian project, which has been running for ten years at the University Library “Svetozar Marković” in Belgrade, represents a successful example of linking academic education with digital knowledge culture. Students from the Department of Library and Information Science at the Faculty of Philology, University of Belgrade, are required to participate in a student internship as part of the course Digital Text 2, where they learn to create high-quality and verifiable articles on the Serbian Wikipedia. Practical work in the library, under the mentorship of experienced librarians, enables students to develop research and writing skills, critical thinking, and digital literacy, while simultaneously contributing to the growth of Wikipedia. Between 2016 and 2025, 159 students completed the internship, creating 172 new articles and supplementing 17 existing ones, a significant number of which received high-quality ratings. This paper analyses the methodology of the student internship, the results achieved, and the significance of the project for academic education, the development of library competencies, and the enrichment of the Serbian Wikipedia.

Keywords: Wikipedia, Wiki Librarian project, education, librarians, University Library “Svetozar Marković” in Belgradе, LIS students, Digital Text 2.