Wikidata/Wikibase: A Green Platform Solution for Coworking

Abstract

Public libraries are a gateway to the citizens’ most disparate information needs. Consequently, contents, methods and tools require to upskill or reskill daily expertises. Services are only partly measurable, they evade the institutions they are part of. This paper summarizes an innovative activity carried out by the newborn work group within the Italian Library Association (A.I.B.) on “coworking in libraries”. Thanks to the involvement in a follow-up action as requested by the National Observatory “Libraries and sustainable development”, the group has been experiencing the virtual lab results on digital ecosystems and the potential of open linked data offered by Wikidata and wikibase.cloud. The paper deals with this innovative venture that, in a short time, has led to cooperative and constructivist learning on digital tools. In Italy libraries are often considered as treasures of manuscripts, annexes for University students, lively places for the children’s reading: nothing or almost nothing is provided for freelancers and smartworkers. Not even they are places where workers turn to ask for sources and suitable tools. Still, the first article of the Italian Constitution states the “work” as the first right for all. At the same time, we wonder how libraries can influence the cultural basket of the gross domestic product. It is taken into consideration the opportunity offered by Wikibase.cloud to support libraries to face “crowds” and “neocollectives”. The coworking environment can be a shaping...