Wikis

I've used Wikipedia, of course, and found it very useful. Like many people have said, it's a good place to start. Yes, anyone can update the information, but anyone can also write a book, a magazine article or a regular web page. You just have to be cautious and check the references at the bottom of the page. I've also used other wikis, including This Might Be a Wiki, a fan wiki for my favorite band. Wikis are great for that kind of application. How many times have you seen something on a Web site that you wanted to correct or comment on? Me too.

I updated the Neflin 23 Things Wiki. It was frustrating here at work because it took about a half an hour to load, update and save the page. But at home it would probably have taken a few minutes.

I really liked some of the examples of how libraries have used wikis. The Library Success wiki is a fantastic way to share resources. And the SJCPL Subject Guides are great for helping and informing patrons. Also safe, since only staff are allowed to update it.

Someone mentioned putting wiki functionality into the library catalog so that patrons could add book reviews to catalog entries. Of course we'd have to monitor it carefully, but I think it's a terrific idea!