Paul Flagg | |
|---|---|
| Education | M.A. in Library & Information Science from USF B.S. in Public Relations from UF |
| Occupation(s) | Librarian Editor & Writing Consultant |
| Employer | Boston Public Library |
| Organization(s) | American Library Association Massachusetts Library Association New England Library Association New England Wikimedians |
My name is Paul Flagg (aka PersnicketyPaul), and I'm a public librarian with the Boston Public Library. Some of my hobbies include reading, baking, trying new foods, and learning about different people, places, and cultures.
Over the past few years, I have enjoyed learning about and working in the field of librarianship, exploring public, school, academic, and even medical library settings. These experiences have broadened my understanding of what it means to provide information services, but, most importantly, they have instilled in me a strong desire to connect people with the information they seek.
Wikipedia & librarianship background
editI have been using Wikipedia since its inception in 2001, and I continue to use it as a jumping-off point for basic research or when I am in need of some quick information. In the summer of 2016, under the instruction of Kathleen de la Peña McCook in her course Wikipedia & Knowledge Management, I learned about the importance of diversity in content created online, both in regards to who produces that content and what that content represents. I also learned the value of Wikipedia as a modern source for information and how I, as a librarian, could contribute to digital information literacy and knowledge management as a Wikipedian. My goals in contributing to Wikipedia are
- to help bridge the gap of diverse content represented on the site and
- to advocate for equality, human rights, and social justice.
My motivation to pursue a career in librarianship as a cause for equality, human rights, and social justice began with an intellectual freedom program I’d attended at ALA Annual 2016 in Orlando, less than a month after the Pulse shooting that claimed 49 innocent LGBTQ+ and Latinx lives. The panel discussed the right to read, censorship, and the controversial case of the children’s book A Birthday Cake for George Washington, which featured smiling black slaves baking a cake for the first president of the United States. Following this forum, I decided to take action by joining ALA's Intellectual Freedom Round Table and the Freedom to Read Foundation, later becoming a committee associate for the Intellectual Freedom Committee.
Wikipedia projects
editWilliam D. Weeks Memorial Library
- Added 750+ words to existing article on a public library in Lancaster, New Hampshire
- Updated photo and added information to infobox
- Moved page from William Dennis Weeks Memorial Library and redirected from Weeks Memorial Library
Wikipedia Asian Month (November 2016)
- Angela Yang, a noteworthy Chinese-American librarian who has served as a past president of the Chinese American Librarians Association
- Cheng Sait Chia, a relatively unknown Chinese-Canadian poet whose only work was published posthumously
- The Devourers, a speculative fiction novel written by Indian author Indra Das about shape-shifting wolves
- The Night Parade, a juvenile fiction novel published by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky that is set in Tokyo and reminiscent of Japanese phenomenon Hyakki Yagyō
- Tama Art University Library, an academic library at an art school in Tokyo
- Kathryn Tanquary, author of juvenile fiction fantasy novel The Night Parade
- Rebecca Heflin, women's fiction and romance novelist of several published books
- Paula Brackston, New York Times bestselling author of The Witch's Daughter
- Magnus Flyte, author of New York Times bestseller City of Dark Magic (pseudonym for female writing duo Meg Howrey and Christina Lynch)
- Eleanor Brown, New York Times and international bestselling author of The Weird Sisters and The Light of Paris
2017 USF SOLIS WikiΞquality Series
- Planning and coordinating three themed Wikipedia edit-a-thon events focusing on human rights, social justice, equality, and diversity
- Applied for and received rapid grant from Wikimedia Foundation to support and promote events
- Completed project report summarizing event goals, outcomes, and finances