Chad Boeninger – Wikis in Libraries : Enhancing Services, Promoting Sources, and Building Community (Powerpoint)
Chad started off with a show of hands – what type of librarian’s were in the audience, including media specialists.
He went on to define what a wiki is.
He emphasized that the strength of a resource depends on the strength of the community.
Software: Gallery (similar to Flickr, but hosted on your own server)
Wiki examples:
- Executive Planet (a wiki devoted to worldwide business etiquette)
- LibrarySuccess.org (devoted to promoting networking among library staff)
Internal wiki example:
- ReferenceWiki (only available to Ohio University reference staff – watch the presentation to view)
ReferenceWiki replaces their 3-ring binder of stumper questions, sticky-notes, and shared network folder documents.
Internal wikis ultimately become a knowledgebase:
- keyword searchable
- organized by category
- location neutral (save for network access)
- RSS feed available for new edits
- enables group collaboration
Important extras:
- A how-to page (guide to editing, style, etc.)
- faq (Frequently Asked Questions)
- sandbox (a place to practice editing)
Scholarly software is linked via reference wiki
Their library has skype-based video chat between floors — remote reference!
External wiki apps can be used for:
- communication with library users
- Research guides
- replace html/pdf guides
- can cut through the time and effort needed to maintain research guides
- dynamic content (blogs and wikis)
Wiki example: Biz Wiki (similar to ReferenceWiki in structure and style)
He demonstrated the creation and editing of info on the wiki
So you want a wiki:
- Find a purpose
- it’s not a hula hoop or ipod
- what void will it fill?
- communicate and collaborate easier
- how do others feel about the current system
Choose software
- WikiMatrix to compare and contrast various wikis
- Open Source CMS to use the various wikis without having to install (my suggestion)
Locally hosted options
- requires experience with dynamic websites (php & mysql)
- requires desire to experiment
- allow custom look and feel
- data lives on your server
Wiki farms / services
- very little technical experience needed
- free resources may run slowly, however
- you may have limited customization options
- no upgrade worries
- support varies (better than DIY)
Wiki: WikiIndex (a wiki of wikis)
How to create a community
- start with core group to add content and build momentum
- get buy-in from others
- refer to the wiki in blog posts, emails, etc. whenever applicable (use the resource)
- don’t be a control freak
when is a wiki done?
- never
- static wiki is a bad sign
- maintain, create, and edit to keep it viable
Is a wiki for you?
- flexible
- can be adapted
- save time
- requires time and effort
Challenges
- biggest challenge: getting others to contribute
- more content = more maintenance
- maintain organization and structure with growth
- difficult to see new content
- spam spam spam spam
Notes: This was a very good how-to session with a very well-defined purpose. If someone were asking the question of whether a wiki could be beneficial, and what it would take to make it happen, then 90% of their questions were answered here (the other 10% would be local questions concerning their IT setup, administration, etc.). Having set up a few wikis for a variety of purposes, I found this to be an excellent presentation.
