Challenge 16

Challenge:
1. For this discovery exercise, you are asked to take a look at some library wikis and blog about your findings.

2. Create a blog post about your findings. What did you find interesting? What types of applications within libraries might work well with a wiki?

Once in a department meeting, MinervaShelved asked me to quickly come up with the definition of "wiki", which of course, caught me off guard and excruciatingly slowly the definition came to mind...it's the Hawaiian word for "quickly, very fast". It's also the name of the little bus that will take you to the various terminals in the Honolulu airport.

The first wiki I looked at Book Lovers Wiki. It didn't look at all as to most wikis that I've looked at. Most of the wikis I've seen really do seem like they're pages out of an encyclopedia. This wiki was so much more colorful and Amazon-like. I had fun perusing all the different books that the summer readers have read and reviewed. A very cool community project!

The next wiki I looked at was the Bull Run Library Wiki and it also didn't feel like a wiki to me. It was more like a webpage for the library...though I could go through and see all the updates over a 3 week history.

I liked the concept of the Albany County Public Library Staff Wiki. The procedures documentation along with photos was really nice to see. I did find it awkward navigating through the wiki. After reading a page, I'd have to navigate with the back button or the home button to reach another topic I was interested in. I guess I'm just used to navigating webpages and not wikis.

What types of applications within libraries might work well with a wiki?

I like the idea of placing our department procedures on a wiki, but maybe having a menu or link at the bottom of the page so after you're done reading the entry, you can move on to the next topic of interest within the wiki.