Thing #16: Wikis

Wikis are one piece of Library 2.0 that I have used before. I recently completed Maryland's LATI program where we got to play around with the LATI Wiki every now and again. Wikis are neat tools mostly because anyone can contribute. I especially love Wikipedia because it is such a huge database of information and anyone can contribute. The result is an encyclopedia that is vastly larger than say the Worldbook Encyclopedia sitting on our reference shelves. Not only that, it also includes information on topics that a traditional print encyclopedia does not have. It provides references and links to other related sites. I know a lot of folks argue that Wikipedia isn't totally reliable or factual due to the content being completely user contributed. I think, however, that for the most part Wikipedia is factual. Contributors who are "experts" in their fields scour, edit, and correct Wikipedia entries so that they are factual. Certainly there are errors, but you will also find errors in print encyclopedias.

Wikis can be useful to libraries in a number of ways. First, behind the scenes, Wikis make it incredibly easy for staff to collaborate on projects. Ideas can be posted any time of the day, and in fact library staff could collaborate across county, state, and country borders on various project by using a wiki. Ideas can be expanded upon and other users can edit the existing work, adding their 2 cents. Wikis could also be employed for use with the public-- they can be used as a community message board, a book discussion forum, or just a place to connect with others in the community. I can't say this enough: I love the "anyone can do it" aspect of wikis-- no one owns or controls the content of the site and everyone has the opportunity to contribute. I liked the Princeton Library's Book Lover's Wiki where users post book reviews. The library has also linked it up with local business to offer raffle prizes for contributors. They use the Wiki as a tie-in and enhancement of their summer reading program. Yes there are thousands of sites where folks can submit and publish their book reviews, but this particular wiki caters to their library users and gives them a way to connect with one another.