Wikis: Library 2.0 Activity #5

I have done a wiki for the staff intranet at my other workplace. It's a list by category of technology-related sites of interest to librarians and archivists. What was challenging for me was to keep the external links up-to-date, delete dead links, keep my annotations brief, and add new material. I have never worked with RSS feeds, which I think would be a great time-saver. My site wasn't interactive and did not have much visibility. I think that every library should have a wiki, inviting patron recommendations for materials selection and useful web pages. The primary concern is security. I noticed that one wiki required user authentication, which I believe is important. I'm reminded of what can happen when there is no mentoring or refereeing of posted content. A large genealogical database that I am familiar with ended up widely discredited as a source, because so much dirty data was entered. People saw years' worth of research, which they had submitted, drastically edited, revised and deleted. Heated controversies in families about names, places, dates, livelihoods, paternity, skeletons, etc., led to multiple versions of the same lineage, or tampering with existing submissions. I like the flexibility of wikis and the democratic marketplace of ideas they provide. As with my example and some of the controversies surrounding scurrilous postings in Wikipedia, there has to be someone minding the store. I feel that the Internet provides librarians additional opportunities for mediating knowledge; wikis and blogs are a great way to achieve this in a proactive fashion.

My first post: Library 2.0 activity #3

I've often thought about creating a blog, but wondered about the time commitment and when I would find Internet access. Now that I've got the PC at home online, it seems like the most natural thing to do. Kudos to SLCPL for encouraging staff to take this venture.