Monday, August 6, 2007

Week 7, Thing 16: Learn about wikis and discover some innovative ways that libraries are using them.

What I found interesting is that there is a wiki for just about every topic you can think of. As was pointed out, there is a lot of good info out there, but editorial command and control is a concern. Bias comes into play, and misuse is rampant. One user pointed out in the Bull Run PL (I think) wiki that they always verify their info at another source because of the subjectivity of a wiki's editorial content. This in turn raises the question of why not go to that other source right off the bat and avoid the wiki entirely thereby negating its usefulness. I like, for instance, Wikipedia's entry for the Battle of the Somme:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Somme_%281916%29
This is a great overview to this massive historical event, and it's links provide accurate detail, hence a wiki success! I like the SJCPL subject guides, it works well for libraries and could just as easily read, 'FCPL Subject Guides" for our reference work. What's in a wiki you ask? Well, a bit of everything. That's what makes them viable. But, they must be used with common sense and not necessarily taken as an authoritative source for all things. Verify the info from multiple sources as needed to correctly answer patron (and your own) questions.

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