Wired cites Wikipedia

One of the sites I check almost daily is Wired. A lot of the content is old news to me because I subscribe to the dead tree publication, but they have some fantastic blogs, particularly Game|Life, and Geek Dad. Today on the front page I came across this: July 10, 1997: Neanderthal DNA Suggests a Separate, Unequal Being. Interesting, yes; blog worthy, not really... Except for the attribution at the bottom of the article: "Source: Associated Press, Wikipedia."

I think this is the first time I've seen Wikipedia listed as a source in a reputable publication. I'm know there are plenty of academics and (even) librarians wailing, railing and generally gnashing their teeth right now, but I say "Bravo!" I use Wikipedia on a daily basis, often to quickly familiarize myself with a topic as I conduct a reference interview, if the topic is obscure, or to double check a fact found elsewhere. Like information from any other source, you evaluate, and move on. It's not like Britannica is perfect either. In any case, leaving the well-worn arguments aside, whatever you think about Wikipedia, I can almost guarantee that no matter how great your library, your resources can't touch Wikipedia for information about the new Battlestar Galactica or Gabriel Gonzaga (can't wait to see the show he puts on with Coture).

The other day I heard one of my senior colleagues admit, as if confessing a sin, "I love Wikipedia." I admit it too... and look, no guilt.