Audit Your Local Points of Interest

When I got involved in Wikipedia's WikiProjectErie a couple of years ago, one of the tasks for project volunteers was to propose and write new articles about local points of interest. Seems there are always a few local attractions in any community that have yet to be written about. I had a subscription to the Erie Times-News, so I began reading the paper with the eye of a Wiki auditor, looking for feature articles or advertisements that highlighted area attractions. I'd fold the paper back and draw a big pencil circle around articles meriting further research. Many of the places already had articles, but every once in a while I'd find one that needed more work or a topic that hadn't been written about yet. I had an extra bed next to my computer when I was in school and it was littered with such clippings. Each one was a project in itself, requiring additional research in local histories at the county library and the Hammermill Library on the nearby Mercyhurst College campus, so only a small percentage of those articles ever got written.

Another need listed on the WikiProject Erie page was for photographs of local points of interest for inclusion in Wiki articles. Certainly a fun way to contribute to a local Wiki project is to get your digital camera out and take pictures. I found that there were many tourist attractions in town that hadn't been photographed for Wikipedia, so I took advantage of bright, clear days and took many shots that now appear in Wikipedia. I never expected to become a photo contributor, but it's a niche for you shutterbugs out there if you are looking for a way to get involved.

Now that I'm back in Central Jersey, I've been procrastinating a bit about getting involved in the local Wiki projects here. I've been finishing up my thesis and haven't had the time for this hobby, number one. But also I am still attached to the Erie project and have been contemplating additional work in that area when I have the time.

Just before I left the shores of Presque Isle Bay for Raritan Bay, I purchased original copies of Reed's History of Erie County, Pennsylvania (two volumes) and Nelson's Biographical Dictionary (in one volume) so I could continue my research. I also have access to Bates History online, both in transcription and in images. My photo work will have to support local NJ points of interest, but I just might continue my deeper Wiki research in Erie issues, including local biography.

A good place to start if you're interested in augmenting Erie biography at Wiki is to check the list of famous residents of Erie at the Erie Cemetery Association's website and make sure there are articles about each. I created the Erie Cemetery Wiki article and added all the photos that appear there. There are plenty of interesting folks buried in that cemetery and other local cemeteries, so consider joining me in rediscovering some of their lives.