Go Wikis!

At last I know what a Wiki is!!! I've used Wikipedia many times but never realised it was a "Wiki," or how easy it is to edit Wikipedia articles. I was very surprised to learn that anybody can edit without having to even log in.

Also found it very interesting that the German language version of Wikipedia was more accurate than the leading German language encyclopedia!! This made me stop and reflect on the times that I have neglected to use Wikipedia as an information source for library patrons, given that I didn't think that it was reliable. Perhaps now, instead of being so quick to reject it as an information source, I can show patrons information contained in Wikipedia (along with other sources) and explain some its strengths and weaknesses. I also really enjoyed the "Information Today" article for all of the different viewpoints it highlighted.

I would like to try creating a Wiki for our book club though I'm not sure how receptive the predominantly older people in our book club would be to posting book reviews on a Wiki themselves. (Yes I know, very stereotypical but I do believe this would be the case). Maybe I would have to post the book reviews on the Wiki myself or introduce it to our young adult library members who may also like to post book reviews during school holidays. I like the idea of a Wiki for staff use too, especially for event planning where people in different branches could brainstorm and post their ideas for others to build on. A Wiki, used as a repository for policy and procedures and other documents for staff use, would also benefit staff at smaller branches who may not have access to a common drive. I guess the possibilities are endless.....