The Past as Prologue: Public Authority and The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History

The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, first published in 1987 and then placed online in 1998, is recognized as the progenitor of the modern, urban encyclopedia and a model of shared academic and vernacular authority. Today Wikipedia challenges it and similar scholarly products with its reliance on universal authority, its huge scope of entries, and its ability to keep current. This article suggests that vetted urban encyclopedias need to revisit their roots as community enterprises and reimagine and reengage those connections in order to allow their vetted content to remain competitive with Wikipedia and other open-source online resources.