Our next assignment talks about wikis and asks us to think about what applications a wiki might be useful for in a library setting. I find it interesting that according to the video provided in the assignment Google documents are technically wikis. Which is probably true for the most part, the great thing about web 2.0 is that we get this blurring of the lines between technologies. In the example of planning a camping trip I have used Google documents for that exact purpose before, as well as in various games I play and several school assignments.
How can a library benefit from using a wiki? Wikis are extremely useful to libraries, they're useful in the same way they're useful to Businesses, Community Groups, Schools, and the Government. All of these institutions use wikis. How? Businesses share resources and collaborate on projects much in the same way that the campers in the video do. They can coordinate schedules, projects, meeting room use, seminars, and more. They can share links to answers for commonly asked questions. Many businesses put their employee handbooks online and allow employees to edit them, though they often require management to approve any changes. The US military is trying this with some of their literature, not the Uniform Code of Military Justice, but some of their field guides can obviously benefit from some revisions by people who've been to the place they're about instead of a desk jockey at the pentagon or west point.
Community Groups can share info about upcoming events and plan everything from social events to fundraisers to community outreach programs. Any organization which is based in a geographically similar region can share information about local points of interest, pretty much all your basic nouns, People, Places, and Things. Imagine the library having a wiki where a person could look for historical information about the city and a couple clicks later find a nice place to eat down town then a couple clicks later order a book from the library to help them plan a trip.
Our library website could definately benefit from a wiki style re-organization. Much of the information at the top could benefit from better taxonomy and organization. Our lists of organizations and links could be split into several cross linked pages for easier navigation and better. The kids and teens sections could benefit from more direct involvement by their department staff and our calendaring system is in need of revitalization.
Well, that's enough about wikis, if you haven't infered from the above I think that the vast majority of sites can benefit from some kind of wikification or introduction of some wiki-like concepts.
Regards,
-Benjamin
How can a library benefit from using a wiki? Wikis are extremely useful to libraries, they're useful in the same way they're useful to Businesses, Community Groups, Schools, and the Government. All of these institutions use wikis. How? Businesses share resources and collaborate on projects much in the same way that the campers in the video do. They can coordinate schedules, projects, meeting room use, seminars, and more. They can share links to answers for commonly asked questions. Many businesses put their employee handbooks online and allow employees to edit them, though they often require management to approve any changes. The US military is trying this with some of their literature, not the Uniform Code of Military Justice, but some of their field guides can obviously benefit from some revisions by people who've been to the place they're about instead of a desk jockey at the pentagon or west point.
Community Groups can share info about upcoming events and plan everything from social events to fundraisers to community outreach programs. Any organization which is based in a geographically similar region can share information about local points of interest, pretty much all your basic nouns, People, Places, and Things. Imagine the library having a wiki where a person could look for historical information about the city and a couple clicks later find a nice place to eat down town then a couple clicks later order a book from the library to help them plan a trip.
Our library website could definately benefit from a wiki style re-organization. Much of the information at the top could benefit from better taxonomy and organization. Our lists of organizations and links could be split into several cross linked pages for easier navigation and better. The kids and teens sections could benefit from more direct involvement by their department staff and our calendaring system is in need of revitalization.
Well, that's enough about wikis, if you haven't infered from the above I think that the vast majority of sites can benefit from some kind of wikification or introduction of some wiki-like concepts.
Regards,
-Benjamin
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