LIS 9763

I use wikis in my day-to-day job, but this use is very one-dimensional. At my office, we use wikis as collaborative workspaces (sort of like an online whiteboard). This is the way that I’ve always known wikis to work. But reading Kille’s article allowed me to see that wikis can have many other practical applications when they’re opened to the public. Using a wiki as a public knowledge repository really opened my eyes to the possible uses that they can have in the library world.

Hello everyone,

When built around a responsible and committed group of people with a shared purpose, wikis can provide a well-structured, easy-to-use, effective and efficient means of organizing and providing access to prolific amounts of information to a wide array of people.

(As a librarian, puns aren't a hobby.  They're a responsibility.)
 

Hi Everyone,
I just wanted to let you know that I am taking a blog holiday this week.
see you next week!

I really enjoyed the case studies from this week as I felt they encompassed what is both right and wrong with wikis. On the right side of things, I was quite taken by the Princeton Public Library book lovers’ wiki. I found it easy to navigate and especially liked how the library divided reviews by genre. Consistent overall structure is definitely key to wiki success. While not the most advanced wiki out there, this one captivated my attention.

Wikis are, by definition, great tools for collaboration.  I just read an article called Old is Gold: Integrating older workers in CSCW. (see bottom for citation) CSCW is “computer supported cooperative work”.  An example of a CSCW system is a wiki.  The article was actually about making these systems more usable for older workers.  What I found interesting, and relevant to this coure, is the reasons for why this is so important. 

Taking out one of my "blog holidays" this week: I've been trying to put something together, but I just can't seem to get organized blog-wise this week. I'll be back for social bookmarking.