Thing # 16 Wikis

I must admit that I've had some negative perceptions of wikis in the past and while I admire the ability to do something like a Wiki I have never found one that I was overly interested in as an author and a reader. (although I admit to using wikipedia for a general idea on an unfamiliar subject.) So In completing this thing, I tried to concentrate on wiki use in the library and forget all the negative experiences I have had with wikis in the past. Takeing a look at what other libraries are doing with wikis was a big help.

I thought that the subject guide that St. Joseph county Public Library turned into a Wiki was a very good way to assist patrons in finding materials they were looking for but it is not exactly a Wiki due to the very limited scope of who is editing the content. What is the difference between a highly restricted wiki and a homepage? Not much.

http://www.libraryforlife.org/subjectguides/index.php/Main_Page

I was more impressed with Book Lover's Wiki created by the Princeton Public Library. While still limited, allowing at least some patrons to add content to the Wiki makes the page more in line with the idea of web2.0. While I am sure they request submissions to be sent via e-mail to ensure that nothing inappropriate is posted, it would be more user-friendly to allow patrons to use an online application without sending an e-mail. I know that in forums and news group posts can be held until they approved by the moderator of the discussion. I am not sure about the technical difficulty's of using that within the scope of the WIKI tools being used by this library system, but I think patrons would prefer to type on the page and hit a submit button without having to switch over to their e-mail ect.

Over all, Wiki's look like a fun way to get patrons involved, and I very much like the idea of a WIKI for book recommendation and review. I think this would be especially successfull with teens and older kids, and may keep them interested and talking to each other about books. Teens and older children are much more interested in what their peers think about something than what a grown up does. They are the ultimate experts on what other teens might want, and they love sites where they are in control of the content. While it might mean some extra supervisory work, bring kids together on the library web page could have as much impact as bringing them together in the library.
I feel that at least in my branch, fewer adults are as techno-savvy and spend as much time surfing the Internet, but this same kind of book review application would be good for adults as well. I think in Cecil County, it might not be as popular with adults as it could be for teens and older elementary students but it could encourage younger adults to be more involved in the library.

-M