CEE/Newsletter/Newsroom/What 1Lib1Ref 2025 campaign meant for the Romanian librarians
- By: MagdaBarascu
Wikimedians of Romania and Moldova gathered several testimonials of the librarians who took part in 1Lib1Ref 2025: how was this experience for them, what was the most difficult part and the most beautiful one, will they go on editing on Wikipedia?
Here is what they told us:
Adriana Boboc, librarian at the I.I Mironescu Municipal Library in Tazlău: "Participating in the #1Lib1Ref campaign was an inspiring and rewarding experience. Together we discovered how important the role of librarians is in ensuring reliable sources on Wikipedia and how much we can contribute to free access to information. I never imagined that I could have a real impact on the largest online encyclopedia. It was a challenge, but also a great joy to add references that will help readers around the world. This workshop showed us that, together, we can make a difference in building a better informed world. And this is just the beginning!"
Loredana Manolachi from Vaslui County Library said: "Participating in the #1Lib1Ref campaign was a challenging but also rewarding experience. Completing Wikipedia references helped us better understand the documentation process and the importance of quality information. Organizing the editing workshop gave me the opportunity to share this knowledge with others and contribute, as librarian, to promoting open access to information. We felt excited to contribute to a global platform, and the collaborative process strengthened our sense of community."
Olivera-Lida Gîșfan from Municipal Library "Radu Rosetti" from Onești confessed: "Participating as a librarian in the #1Lib1Ref project on Wikipedia was a valuable and interactive experience. I contributed to improving the articles by adding references, correcting and editing mistakes, but also adding notes where necessary, strengthening the accuracy of the information available to the public. In addition, this project gave me the opportunity to collaborate with other librarians and volunteers, exchanging best practices and learning more about editing on Wikipedia. It was an excellent opportunity to capitalize on the library's resources and support free access to quality information."
Ottilia Bodiș from Sălaj County Library said: "Organizing #1Lib1Ref event in Sălaj was an exceptional opportunity for me to share the secrets of editing and improving Wikipedia articles, but also a challenge. Many librarians (out of the 16 present at the event) edited for the first time at the organized event, they did well and it even piqued their interest and continued to complete the references after the event. At the same time, we were also excited not to make mistakes, because it is a great responsibility to publish changes, even if they are small, in Wikipedia articles."
Hîrlea Liliana, school librarian at the "I.I. Mironescu" Tazlău Secondary School told us that: "For me, it was more than a workshop – it was a lesson about the power of knowledge and about our responsibility to provide correct information."
Iuliana-Camelia Pîrvu from Șirna Municipal Library, Prahova County concluded: "#1lib1ref campaign experience is a testimony of the fact that the work of the librarian, even of the one who is the only employee of the library institution, is important and relevant for his community and not only. This demonstrates that the librarian honours his commitments and that he can capitalize on important opportunities through which to use the resources that the library wants to make available to the reading public. And one solution to enrich online informational content is participation in the #1lib1ref campaign."