Wikis: A Beginner

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Wikis A Beginners Look

• Chad F. Boeninger
• Computers in Libraries 2007

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What is a Wiki?

• A website in which content can be created and
  edited by a community of users
• Best example is Wikipedia
• Strength of the resource is often dependent on
  the strength of the community

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Origin of Wikis

• Originally used for collaboration in technical
  fields (programmers)
• Now wikis have a variety of purposes
• http//katrinahelp.info
• http//guitarwiki.com
• http//www.cookbookwiki.com
• Best known wiki today is the Wikipedia

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Wiki Software
http//www.wikimatrix.org/
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Get ideas from others
http//wikiindex.org/
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Library Applications

• Wikis for internal library communication
• Wikis as collaborative tools for the larger
  organization
• Wikis to communicate with library users

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Internal Wikis

• Departmental communication
• Reference Wiki
• Stumper questions
• Assignments
• Library policies
• FAQs and links
• Meeting Minutes

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Internal Wikis

• Wiki content becomes a knowledgebase
• Content is keyword searchable
• Content can be organized by category to allow
  easy browsing
• Anyone can add/edit/read content regardless of
  location
• RSS feeds available for new edits

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Group Collaboration

• A library-hosted wiki can put the library at the
  center of a project
• A wiki can be used to bring groups together in a
  virtual space
• Reduce the barrage of email
• Example Learning Communities

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External Wiki Applications

• Communicate with library users
• Wiki as a research guide
• Use to replace traditional html research
  guides/pathfinders
• Communicate sources to researchers and library
  users

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Traditional Research Guides

• Redundancy of resources
• No interlinking
• Multiple edits of the same content
• Not searchable
• No way to measure use
• Timely updates are difficult

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The Biz Wiki
http//www.library.ohiou.edu/subjects/bizwiki/

• Organized by area of research need
• Browse by category or alphabet
• Searchable by keyword
• Users can edit/add content
• Interlinked articles allow for increased access
  to information

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Dynamic Content
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On the Fly Content

• Email question from patron
• Respond to patron
• Similar question via IM
• Use content of previous question to create wiki
  article
• Answer is out of email and on the web
• Easier future access to information

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More Wiki Uses

• Student Research Wikis
• First-year experience wiki
• Campus collaboration
• Multi-disciplinary subjects (Latin American
  Studies/Womens Studies/Film)
• Collaboration among librarians

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Is a Wiki for You?

• Wikis are flexible
• Wikis can be adapted to meet your needs
• Wikis save time
• Wikis require frequent contributions and edits

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Lessons Learned

• Have a purpose
• Will the wiki offer something new?
• Provide structure
• A blank wiki is difficult to use
• Be flexible
• A wiki may be used differently than you intended

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More Lessons Learned

• Have reasonable expectations
• Your users may not think wikis are as cool as you
  do
• Be patient
• People appreciate innovation, but need time to
  adapt to new technologies

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Questions??