Wikis and public libraries

Having had some exposure to wikis throughout the last couple of years (we talked about them in Knowledge Management and in Managing Internet Information Services, I have become a serial Wikipedia user for quick reference answers at work, etc...), I have to say that they are an excellent way to quickly gather the knowledge, or information, that a group or community has on a certain topic and synthesize this knowledge into something that all users can share and add to if they feel that they have something useful to add. After reading the articles and looking at the case studies, it is apparent that using wikis in a public library setting is a great idea, as they  can allow library users to feel even more connected to their library community by inviting users to add their opinions and knowledge to the community. I like the suggestions of Meredith Farkas, who mentions that a library is a great place to host a community information wiki; since most public libraries (at least the ones I have visited) have community bulletin boards set-up on their premises, extending this bulletin board idea to the internet is the next logical step. The only problem with a community information wiki that I can see is that public libraries are usually limited in what types of postings make the cut for their bulletin boards, since these libraries are run as not-for-profit organizations and are not allowed to solicit for for-profit organizations; if a library was to establish a sort of community information wiki, it would probably have to be monitored closely to ensure that people are not using it for other intentions (for example, posting information about a garage sale or advertising for babysitting services). Also, I like Farkas' suggestion of allowing users to annotate library collections to make them more inviting to other users when looking for useful books or other media. It brings the Amazon concept to the library, but without the profit making aspect. I think users would be more apt to give a real opinion on something in a library setting (perhaps their dislike of a certain book), whereas I usually find that those who take the time to submit their reviews on Amazon are only those who REALLY REALLY  LOVE something and want to tell the world about it.

One of the articles mentioned using wikis in a staff environment for group projects, as it would mean less e-mails and would allow everyone to work on the same thing at once. Here's an idea for a library-related wiki - a ‘Handling Difficult Customers' wiki (maybe attached to a ‘Policies and Procedures'  staff wiki) where staff members could go to relate their experiences with the public and share tips for what worked to mollify the customer and what not to say to customers in certain situations. Something like this could go a long way towards making sure that everyone in the library who deals with the public is on the same page and is applying the same policies and procedures system-wide, thus ensuring that all customers are getting the same treatment at any branch of the library. And this would also be a great place to vent after dealing with a difficult customer!

Have a wiki-riffic week!