Students Flock To Library In Light Of Wikipedia Blackout

In a bold stand against an anti-piracy bill making its way through Congress, Wikipedia shut down the English language version of its website on Wednesday.

The blackout forced Web researchers, students and those just looking for a quick tip or fact-check to look elsewhere for answers.

ABC7 talked to UTEP students who said they were more likely to head to the library than the Web when it comes to research.

“A lot of professors say not to use it, because cause anybody could go in there and change it,” UTEP student Nicolas Duran said.

“Our professors here make sure we cite very well,” Sean Peterson said. “Wikipedia just doesn’t do it for you.”

While the students ABC-7 spoke with claimed they never use Wikipedia for facts, students who do were indirectly warned of the blackout by Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, who tweeted on Jan. 16, “Student warning! Do your homework early.”

The online encyclopedia should be inaccessible to English readers for 24 hours. According to Wikipedia, the shut out was orchestrated to protest PIPA, the Protect IP Act and SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act. Both are efforts to stop copyright infringement, but according to Wikipedia, they could threaten free expression.

Along with more than dozen prominent sites, and perhaps hundreds of lesser-known ones, Wikipedia shut down for more than 24 hours.

Sites like Craigslist and and Google are advertising their support for the blackout online.

“You go back to books and use your research skills,” said Dane Aguilar, a research librarian for the El Paso Public Library. “So while there’s a way around (the blackout), I think it’d be an inconvenient thing for the people.”