Prior to doing this exercise my only experience of Wikis was Wikipedia, which I had found useful on occasion. I had been told that the information was not always reliable but had not understood why. Now that I know that the information can be changed and/or added to by anyone I understand the caution whilst acknowledging that this can also be a strength. However, librarians have always had to be mindful of the authority of the sources being used.
The obvious application for Wikis in the library context is for library users to contribute reviews of books they have read. This could be extended to the formation of Wiki book clubs, both general or specializing in a single genre or age-group. I also like the idea of community information eg clubs, services etc being available on a Wiki as all the information could be kept up to date by the organisations listed. Wikis would also be great for staff discussion and disemination of inhouse information. Genealogy, local history or other specialist subject Wikis could be hosted by libraries and would also allow the sharing of information as it is discovered.
Another exciting region of cyberspace for this Trekkie to explore!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment