Thing 16 - Wikis

I enjoyed checking out the suggestions of books from Princeton's readers. The dedicated people are the ones who write the reviews. Not everyone has time to do that but it is a good way to explore what other people are reading. I signed up for WOWbrary from Prince William to check out via RSS feed what they are buying. I may see titles that I want to read and will reserve in MCPL.

Posting programs, book reviews and being the community's hub (promoter and publicizer) are very practical uses for a wiki. The Library does not have to be the ones putting every wiki together. They should figure out which application best suits them and their customers or else it will fall by the wayside as they lose interest or the knowledgable staff leave that library. Community organizers who have technological saavy (Web 2.0 abilities) can be involved in informing followers about community activities and creating a RSS feed will keep people aware of any updates. I had already discovered Library Success and bookmarked it before I saw it in the listing of wikis to look at. It is good not to have to reinvent the wheel and the idea of posting tips for big events is a wonderful use of wikis.

People in an organization may have great ideas about how to improve the website, a pathfinder, a system document or something else but they are not included in the decision-making or in the creation/ revision process but Wikis can provide the opportunity for their input. adapted from http://www.webjunction.org/technology/web-tools/articles/content/438229

However, I will state it again (in another way) that you have to have the staff with expertise to take time to create the wiki, keep it updated and make sure that your customers or staff know about it and use it.