Thing 10. Wikis

Wikis are amazing, something that we couldn't have dreamed of years ago. It is a fantastic new way to have a collection of information, on any subject imaginable, that can be continually expanded, revised, and updated. The most revolutionary aspect of a wiki is the concept that most anyone can have free access to add or edit the content. Actually, that is a little unnerving. Kinda tough for control freaks to know that somebody can change what they've written! And then there is the question of accuracy. For that reason, I can understand why teachers may not allow students to use Wikipedia as a research source. But then, can we believe everything we hear and read anyway? Maybe Wikis will teach us all to be a bit more skeptical of all our sources and resources!

I watched the Common Craft video, "Wikis in Plain English" and "got it". The other recommended resources were interesting and helpful too, more with regard to how wikis can be used in library situations. Within libraries, wikis can be used for sharing staff information, for keeping policies up to date, or as a subject guide. The Library Success Wiki is more of an example of how libraries can share ideas, successes and innovations with each other through the wiki format. I found a list of librarians who IM on that site. A library wiki can also be set up to function as a community resource finder that can be added to or edited by community members. The SJCPL wiki was a great example of that. A wiki would be a great site for book summaries, book reviews, and recommendations similar to what Amazon has. All of this would, of course, have to be set up and monitored to some degree, but since the input is from whoever and wherever a wiki can take on a life of its own perhaps.

I, Miss Turrey, visited the 23 Things wiki and left my stiki wiki footprint!