DC_Elliott

About me

I joined Wikipedia to help improve articles and create the stray article when my initial search hits a dead end. I started editing in 2014.

I am a librarian by training and enjoy applying the skills I've learned, practiced, and continue to develop over the years. I have experience in archives, libraries, and museums so I'm inspired to use resources freely available. My goal is to help enrich Wikipedia's vast resources with material openly available to Web users. My interests vary--tea culture, geography, immigration, Jazz, and Russian culture, to name a few. My edits most often include adding authoritative citations, headings, and images.

My work

I am a paid employee of the University of Maryland Libraries, specifically staff dedicated to the institution's participation in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP). I use the Libraries' holdings to improve articles on Wikipedia. This includes adding links to specific titles or pages in the NDNP database Chronicling America as either citations or external links. I only will do so when the content of the newspaper is directly relevant to the article.

My end goal is to share the Libraries' resources and make them available for experienced Wikipedia editors to use throughout the encyclopedia. As such, my work with the University of Maryland Libraries aligns with Wikipedia's Five Pillars--both organizations are committed to the traditions of resource-sharing and providing open, fair access to information. When I am editing Wikipedia as part of my official professional duties, I strive to abide strictly by Wikipedia's accepted practices on conflicts of interest, neutrality, and notability. Because the University of Maryland Libraries' educational mission is in line with Wikipedia's mission to disseminate knowledge freely, I will not make edits that I do not believe are in accordance with Wikipedia's practices and procedures. Therefore, I will not make substantive edits to articles related to the University of Maryland, the National Digital Newspaper Program, Chronicling America, or their personnel. Instead, if I edit articles, they will be to contribute subject matter expertise.