So from the discovery trips and readings I have put into my thinking compartments the following: Bloggs are online journals/diaries as they are arranged by dates and the postings cannot be edited (unless specified) but comments can be made freely, more a dialogue medium. Wikis however are abit more structured…a web page that invites contribution so input and edit and the idea is to encourage development through collaboration. There is no date order and leads to the development of a knowledge/information resource.
From the exercises one could see a fair number of potential uses and obvious ones for subject teams are guides and instruction sheets. Maybe an assignment topic wiki! No need to reinvent but only trouble is sometimes if the approach is linked to an institution’s holdings then collaboration might not work although certainly on a team level it will . Adding websites or free articles etc would be an avenue to engage student participation otherwise students might be consumers rather than collaborators. Incorporating the personal touch of allowing contact like in Biz Wiki would certainly value add!
Some good suggestions for wikis have come from G8 and I would add perhaps we could have a wiki for all library wide projects so one spot for an update to what has happened or happening. Maybe a centre wide one even! Having just got back from a Conference I think one where the locals can input tips and hints about the place and goings on would be useful. Often the official site is controlled by the appointed organizer and standard “fare” so a wiki could give the easier option for anyone to give practical information for attendees before they arrive so they could maximise their short stay!
I know it is said for wikis no html knowledge etc is necessary and it does appear to have a consistent enough approach but here are several “platforms” or is software the correct term? So to encourage participation make it even easier, as some have done, give “how to” instructions up front for quick and basic input with referral to sections for any “sophisticated” input! One other feature I found that perhaps could be a standard is to offer a printable version for obvious reasons!
Have put some postings into the brochure wiki on Blackboard but I think the creative juices haven’t flowed yet and perhaps this group would be able to tackle it together with the Wikipedia Library entry once we complete this pilot.
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Hi Nap
Some great ideas on using the Wiki. You have provided a considered approach that almost makes me wish to rewrite my own entry.
I agree that those from the group who are interested should collaborate on a Library Wikipedia entry. This would be a useful exercise and a worthwhile one I think.
I find Wikis tantalising as they appear to be something that could be quite useful in a library sense.
One of the questiomns that we need to address is how we proceed with the knowledge we have gathered. Do we go generic 'library' or subject or both.
Exciting times and I think it is useful to think about our own practice as it helps to breakdown the enormity of the information being conveyed.
ELLE
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