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Wikipedia is one and at the same time an encyclopedia and a community. The encyclopedia is a central repository of knowledge made available to the public (the entire world), and as such is one version of society's memory. The community is everyone who makes use of or takes care of the encyclopedia, and includes readers, contributors, editors, and the admins of Wikipedia.
Everyone has the right to use Wikipedia, and therefore it is the responsibility of everyone to build, maintain, and defend Wikipedia. Anyone who participates in Wikipedia is a Wikipedian. Wikipedians are self-selected. From time to time, Wikipedians choose from amongst themselves champions to serve in the cause of the greatest good with respect to the caretaking of "the world's encyclopedia". These heroes are known as "system administrators", or simply admins. Wikipedia's admins are selected through a process called Requests for adminship or RfA. Much more than a privilege, adminship is a responsibility. Wikipedia's admins are the encyclopedia's last line of defense against ignorance and chaos. The key question is, are you up to it?
Whether you wish to become an admin, or you simply wish to improve your skills as a Wikipedian, this course was designed for you. We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it.