#16Wikis

My only previous experience of wikis was the Wikipedia which I often go to for general information or to settle an argument at home. Until this discovery exercise I hadn't realised how many wikis were out there and all the various organisations that have them. I think the collaborative nature of wikis is great and the sharing of information can only be a good thing but I worry about the possibility of incorrect information being treated as fact. Our knowledge and opinions on many topics are very subjective and any editing we do to the wiki might show this bias. I understand why some teachers do not allow students to use wikis as a reference but it is a great way to get general information on a variety of topics very easily and quickly.

I love the collabrative and community nature of wikis and the thought that the wiki can represent a consensus within a community as mentioned in the article Using wikis to create online communities. This article also mentioned making the library website the online hub of the community. Since we spend a great deal of time considering how we can become part of the community this might be worth considering. I also liked the idea of library customers adding to the catalogue (I can hear the screams from some Bib. Services staff). I hasten to add that their imput should be in the form of reviews, etc of books they have read and not the actual catalogue entry - at least not at first.

I think wikis are a great resource and we should certainly consider how we can utilise them in the public library setting.