Wikis

I have been looking forward to this topic from the beginning of the course because of my curiosity about wikis. I really only had a general sense of what it was, mainly through Wikipedia, I was curious to learn more about this technology and its possible function in the library. One think I really liked about wikis when reading up on them was how easy they are to learn how to use. They are really simple, which can give people, such as myself, an easier way to access this technology. I first looked at the video, because I really needed to get an understanding of what this technology could do before I looked into any depth on its application and current usage. I enjoyed watching the videos for both Wikis and RSS, the site gives a very basic, very understandable way of learning about the topic. So this was a really good starting point for me. 

In reading the more in depth articles about Wikis and what they have been used for and what they could be used for, I found the article about Wikipedia particularly interesting because it was something I was familiar with. I think that the basic idea of the creator was really good, trying to give everyone a free way to access an encyclopedia. But in reading about the many problems they have encountered I can see a great deal of hassle in creating an encyclopedia where everyone can make a contribution. I think the creator, instead of creating rules as he went should probably have realized the problems that are inherent when there are a large group of people working together and have some ground rules. Another big problem with Wikipedia are the articles that deal with the more controversial issues. In many cases these articles are basically closed from editing the majority of the time because of the inappropriate content that is added. Although even with all of the problems that surround Wikipedia, I still really like the concept of having a place where everyone can add something.

In terms of wikis for libraries, I can see the basic problems that have arisen with WIkipedia having a similar issue for libraries. For a library to use this technology there really needs to be some sort of rules for appropriate and inappropriate content that is added. Also as one article was saying you can't just build a wiki and then give it to users without giving them some sort of structure for them to use. Even with all of the possible problems that may arise from vandalism from problematic users. Another problem I can see with using Wikis in the library and in general is how easy they can become disorganized and patrons may become confused as how to find anything on the site because it is not set up in the same way as a normal webpage. For the library, they need to find a way to explain this to the patrons in order that they might navigate smoothly without becoming frustrated and give up. I think that a wiki could be a really useful technology for libraries to use because it would allow patrons to add content or even edit content that is incorrect. It may give them a way to have a whole new way to use library services.

I thought the case studies really highlighted how a wiki could be used in the library effectively. I liked the way that many of them had some way of getting the users to log into the site, I think this really would cut down on the vandalism on these sites, while the drawback to this is that you may lose some people who want to be more anonymous but it may be worth it if it cuts down on the amount of time it would take to edit the site to take out the inappropriate content. Another thing I really liked about some of the case studies was the different ways they were using wikis, some were using them as a book review others were using it to create information about authors. I thought that this was a very valuable way that a library can use the wiki for the library, but as mentioned there can also be many drawbacks to this.