Thing 12 Wikis

I've had experience with wikis, participating in building a reference wiki here at the library and have a personal wiki which was used to plan a trip. These experiences have left me with the feeling that the potential of wikis is great. The examples 23Things provided are useful, timely and the wiki was the right format. But the problem with wikis is well--they are dependent on groups of people to participate and they are only as strong as each individual's participation.

In viewing Library Success and the library staff wiki, I wished that our own ready reference wiki was being kept up-to-date. Any department that does one must have it part of the process and have people dedicated and assigned to maintaining its accuracy and timeliness.

I do think that this library could use wikis to a much better advantage if the process and staff time were committed. I use Wikipedia for ready reference--like Google it's a great starting point. Depending on the reference interview, it may be all you need and as they say "wiki-wiki"--fast. I've also used wikis to get to information. Library are using wikis to make lists of libraries that are "the best..." or that "use...." It is a perfect example of the cautionary tale of wikis---if you are allowed to put your name up on a best list yourself, who's judgment is that?

I also created an OpenID account thanks to Neflin's Wiki. well I thought I did but once again the technology takes longer than the action. But I did leave a little note on Neflin's 23 Things Wiki.

This all makes me want more time.......