Wiki Rant

This week I looked at some ways libraries have been using Wikis. Wikis are very attractive to me because they encourage collaborative work, creativity, and a sense of community to those that edit the page.

From a source other then wikipedia, I found a definition on Webopedia that compared Wikis to some other technology we have been learning about, it said :

"A collaborative Web site comprises the perpetual collective work of many authors. Similar to a blog in structure and logic, a wiki allows anyone to edit, delete or modify content that has been placed on the Web site

using a browser interface, including the work of previous authors. In contrast, a blog

, typically authored by an individual, does not allow visitors to change the original posted material, only add comments to the original content.

The term wiki refers to either the Web site or the software used to create the site.

Wiki wiki means “quick” in Hawaiian. The first wiki was created by Ward Cunnigham in 1995."

I found that last part about the origins of the word 'wiki' pretty cool.

Then I looked at the BookLoversWiki from Princeton Public Library and the Bull Run Library Wiki. I looked at a few others but these two in particular detail. I noticecd that Wikis can vary in appearance and I belive they devlope according to the user populations tastes, after all, they wouldn't use them if they didn't like them.

I liked that the Bull Run Library had a button at the top that let you view the page history, that could be useful to see whats been going on on the wiki. Both wikis have added a search option to their site, which can be useful for a quick search. However, sadly I noticed that the Prinction Wiki needed to update to the new 2.0 version, which leads me to believe it would be a good idea to put a select group of individuals in charge of maintaining the wiki and making sure it is up to data and preform tasks like monitoring, tho I know one option is to only let the wiki update or add things after an administrator has reviewed the changes.

In a library setting, however, where some people may not be able to work on a wiki everyday, the benifit is that everyone can edit it and make changes, the question is how often should someone updates the site/web page? Both sites required users to log in so that their activites could be monitored and no changes that were detrimental to the site are made. For libraries this is very important, we are not meant to monitor users, but the wiki is designed to allow for collaboration and it is a good idea to know who is making what changes and are they good for the purpose of the wiki?

In lieu of being able to continue my blog on the wiki this week I'll post my thoughts on the potential use of Wikis for Libraries here ...

How can wikis be useful for libraries?

In lots of ways.

They can provide a safe and free place for patrons to organize related information on a variety of subjects, while also keeping it all organized and easily accessible. That can be great for patrons who can't always make it to the library for a variety of reasons, but want to stay in touch with reading groups or library programs/activities and in short, still be a part of the library community.

For faculty they can be a way to send updates, since everyone knows no one checks e-mail as often as they might like. It can be a way for faculty to stay in touch when they are away from the library, at conferences or etc. And users can choose to have messages sent to them whenever a change is made to the page, I bet there are PDA and iPhone aplications out there already that make these updates availabe to those mobile devices. A wiki can also have a calender of events, a chat log, urgent messages, link to related sites, a tag cloud and so much more that I don't have the space for it all.....

.....which can be a downfall too, a wiki can take up a lot of time and energy.

I did manage to create an account with pbwiki and learn a little about templates, using styles and sharing the page with others. It is very user friendly, you don't have to have a programming background in xhtml to use it, but that would probably be good for some fancy and advanced stuff.

I also learned users need a password or invite to get into the Learning 2.0 SandBox Wiki :( and will see what happens with that...updates to come later.