[Web4lib] Wikipedia in Chronicle of Higher Education

[Karen Coyle]

Mike Taylor wrote:
> - It's a click away
> - It's free (as in free beer)
> - It's free (as in free speech)
> - Its coverage is much wider
> - It doesn't give the false impression of authority!
>
>
>   
It also has an interesting quality that I appreciate when I compare it 
to something like a web search (avoiding the G word ;-)): There is an 
article where all of the data on a topic has been pulled together. The 
work has been done for you. I know that's what an encyclopedia is 
supposed to be, but I also know that some people use search engines (and 
I used to, too) for queries like the ones I now take to wikipedia. When 
I want to know more about the 1866 Italian plebiscite, I don't want to 
have to rummage through a bunch of web sites or articles on one aspect 
of that topic, I want the topic organized into a single article with a 
general overview, some specifics, and a decent bibliography.

kc

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Karen Coyle / Digital Library Consultant
kcoyle at kcoyle.net http://www.kcoyle.net
ph.: 510-540-7596
fx.: 510-848-3913
mo.: 510-435-8234
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