#16 So what's in a wiki?

The iHCPL wiki was very simple to navigate, and super easy to make contributions.

I have watched the growth of wikis over the years, especially Wikipedia. I have read some of the entries that had to be "edited," and waited to see what Wikipedia would do when Stephen Colbert launched his "Nation" on them. I think that was the first time that everyone realized how easily information could be manipulated on wikis, and the resulting safeguards have only made it better, and there is increased awareness of wikis through stories in the news. Wikipedia's experience has been a cautionary tale for other wikis to learn from, and an introduction to wikis for the uninitiated.

When I think about the popularity of wikis, I believe it is because everyone likes to know that they have something valuable to contribute and there is a public forum for their contribution. The contribution can be made at any time that is convenient, in a public or private venue and others who are interested in the same information will see it.

If you work in this library system you are already familiar with the Printing Wiki. It serves as a public bulletin board to keep you informed on the progress of any printing jobs you have requested.

I think that a perfect use for a wiki would be a teen discussion forum. There could be one on new books, old favorites, books that deserve more attention, required readings for school, fantasy lit. and so on. There are a lot of teens who use social networking sites, so wikis might prove intriguing for some. At the reference desk it could be introduced to reluctant readers as a means of getting them interested in reading, because contributions on the wikis would be from their peers.