[Web4lib] wikis in libraries

[Tom Keays]

On 10/16/06, K.G. Schneider <kgs at bluehighways.com> wrote:
> Initially I made the point that wiki command language is usually not be
> difficult to learn, but it's an obstacle. You still have to learn it, or
> guess at it, or suss it out one way or the other, and to no real purpose.

On one hand, I agree. I use Dokuwiki, which has a fairly easy syntax,
but I use MarkDown in my blog. So, I downloaded the MarkDown plugin
for Dokuwiki and now I have have a great wiki and a great syntax. Why
let the syntax stand in my way?

But, on the other hand, I also disagree. When I was training a group
I'm involved with to use a wiki I set up, I showed them the basic
syntax for formatting. But I also said that if they just typed in
content and didn't bother with formatting, that was ok too. Somebody
else will come along (quite possibly me) and pretty it all up.

And replying to the original post...

On 10/13/06, Mark Robertson <markr at yorku.ca> wrote:
> Our library is already using wikis internally for committee work etc.
> Now we are exploring the issue of how to use wikis on our library
> website and beyond as a way of collaborating with our users.  Can anyone
> suggest examples of libraries using wikis successfully for this
> purpose?  What seems to work best? - wikis as FAQs? wikis as subject
> pathfinders? wikis on policies? assignment wikis?

Here are a few outstanding examples:

Oregon State Library Confluence Wiki
http://wiki.library.oregonstate.edu/confluence/dashboard.action
"Confluence is the enterprise wiki designed to make it easy for you
and your team to share information with each other, and with the
world."

Antioch University training wiki
http://www.seedwiki.com/wiki/antioch_university_new_england_library_staff_training_and_support_wiki/
They use it as a training site for their staff. It is the SeedWiki
technology, which uses a WYSIWYG editor and thus avoids the syntax
problem altogether. It is really quite impressive.

SUNYLA New Tech Wiki
http://sunylanewtechwiki.pbwiki.com/
"This wiki is a place for all SUNY libraries to look to see how their
colleagues in SUNY are using blogs, RSS, Instant Messaging, wikis,
tags and other technologies to enhance their interaction with their
patrons."

Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki
http://www.libsuccess.org/
"This wiki was created to be a one-stop-shop for great ideas and
information for all types of librarians. All over the world,
librarians are developing successful programs and doing innovative
things with technology that no one outside of their library knows
about. ... If you've done something at your library that you consider
a success, please write about it in the wiki or provide a link to
outside coverage. If you have materials that would be helpful to other
librarians, add them to the wiki. And if you know of a librarian or a
library that is doing something great, feel free to include
information about it or links to it."

-- 
Tom