Enhancing Discoverability of Digital Library Collections through Targeted Wikimedia Projects

The Australian Women in Religion (AWR) WikiProject addresses gender bias on Wikipedia by creating and improving articles about Australian women influenced by religious or spiritual traditions. A 2023 Wikimedia Australia grant enabled the University of Divinity to expand this work through two key initiatives: developing a project that used multiple Wikimedia platforms (notably Wikipedia and Wikidata) to enhance the discoverability of digitised library collections, and appointing a Wikimedian-in-Residence (WiR) to facilitate it. Over four months, the AWR project leader and WiR collaborated on a model inspired by international GLAM–Wikimedia partnerships, focusing on digitised materials about Australian women in religion, including the Movement for the Ordination of Women and early Christian feminist groups. By leveraging the reach of Wikipedia and related platforms, the project enhances access to unique collections and demonstrates pathways for future Wikimedia collaborations within the global GLAM sector.