Slides from Wikis & Libraries: Staff and User Opportunities - OLA Super Conference
I've posted the slides from my session and some extra resources including Wiki Matrix.
What is the best wiki to use for libraries?
That's the million dollar question. It partly depends on your situation. Can a hosted wiki work or do you need install software behind the firewall?
For "hosted" solution many libraries are using tools like
pbwiki.com, SeedWiki, Wikispaces (used by some school and academic classes).WetPaint is a fairly new wiki and receiving positive reviews.
In terms of wiki software that you can install there's lots of choices and making a list of the "must have" features is a good place to start and then exploring products in the Wiki Matrix. Many libraries have installed MediaWiki and MoinMoin. Others use PhpWiki.
If your library is using wiki software that you'd recommend, leave a note here for attendees to see and brief description of your wiki. I know they'd appreciate the ideas from people who have actually implemented a wiki.
Wiki Ideas For Libraries
During the session, some participants shared some neat ways that they could see using wikis right away at their library.
Here's a few of the ideas ... Wish we had wifi and everyone could have posted these ideas as the room was just humming with great ideas.
1. Collaborative writing with Grade 6 where small groups of students write up their
notes and rough draft of information about ancient civilizations. It's very easy for the teacher and teacher-librarian to review the progress, what has been added, and by whom. Students can see how others are approaching their area and learn and see the feedback and ideas provided by teacher and teacher-librarians. This is a really a social writing laboratory.
2. We had a great discussion about whether to create a blog or a wiki and one of the groups thought that they might convert a blog that provides tips and advice for students attending library school into a wiki as the information is useful for more than just their year and it could be built upon by future classes.
3. Another idea was using a wiki to share information across multiple continents amongst librarians working with the blind. They have conference calls but if they could share job descriptions, library organizational charts and other documents on a wiki and build a knowledgebase it would really enhance and enrich the discussions.
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Tags: library | ola | superconference | wikis
