Encyclopediae proliferate!

Earlier this year, Portland State University’s history department and the Oregon Historical Society announced the Oregon Encyclopedia, which will coincide with Oregon’s 150th anniversary. The project aims to document what is unique about Oregon, drawing on a wide variety of contributors, and implementing a rigorous peer review model that will ensure its accuracy.

Sound familiar?

We at Wikiproject Oregon thought so.

WikiProject Oregon is a loose affiliation of Wikipedia editors who like to focus on Oregon-related articles. There are lots of these projects, but in Oregon we have an especially effective cast of characters, and the last year’s improvements have been impressive. (Get a taste at Wikipedia’s Oregon portal, which offers a rotating selection of the site’s best Oregon-related content.)

We suspected that the Oregon Encyclopedia folks might not be aware of how much good content Wikipedia has to offer, or of the vibrant community that’s developed there.

So we made some calls and sent some emails. Turned out they are very interested in what we’re up to. So this Friday, three of us from WikiProject Oregon (myself, VanTucky, and Cacophony) will be meeting with the Oregon Encyclopedia’s editorial team, to show them what we’ve got – the technology, the community, and of course the “never-quite-final” product – and, hopefully, to set the stage for some collaborative efforts between our projects.

Wish us luck, and watch for a report after our presentation!