WHY A WIKI? HOW WIKIS HELP GET WORK DONE
Alice B. Ruleman
The quintessential wiki is the online encyclopedia Wikipedia—a living document with articles added by anyone and then edited by many. Wikis continually evolve as they generate knowledge. The simple web pages make it easy to access and edit shared documents, and they can be put together quickly and easily. The online process is much less cumbersome than attempting to do joint editing by e-mail. Revisions are tracked, and the group can revert to an earlier version at any time. Multiple pages can be linked together.
HOW TO CHOOSE WIKI SOFTWARE
So many wiki applications are available that it can be difficult to determine which one to select. WikiMatrix (http://wikimatrix.org) is a great tool for comparing features of over one hundred choices. The website directs the user through a series of questions to determine what kind of wiki is needed and then generates a side-by-side comparison. Lombardo, Mower, and McFarland suggest considering these features:1
Wikis are flexible Web 2.0 tools that can be used for many purposes by individuals, groups, or organizations. Let’s look at some ways real libraries are utilizing them.
Staff and Student Workers: Training and Information
The library at Tarleton State University (Texas) has used a wiki for training student workers since 2007 to provide information about schedules, pay periods, dress code, phone use, safety issues, and departments within the library. The library maintains a separate wiki for staff, which the instruction and outreach department has found particularly helpful.
The technical services wiki at the University of Hartford (Connecticut) houses a training manual for student workers on PBworks. The Colorado Christian College circulation desk chose the same application to post tasks, reminders about policies, coming events, available hours that need to be covered, and notes about the librarian’s schedules. Students are required to check the wiki when they arrive and to look for updates throughout their shifts.
Department Wiki
Roanoke County (Virginia) Public Library selected PBworks for several departments in its library system. The technical services wiki houses internal cataloging instructions, processing information, and forms. The young adult and children’s wiki proved helpful when branch libraries planned the summer reading program.
Policies and Procedures Manuals
Wikis are well suited for policy and procedure manuals because they are easy to access and revise. The technical services department at Yakima Valley Libraries (Washington) uses SharePoint for cataloging procedures and directions. It no longer needs the binders and notes that previously stored this information. Missouri University of Science and Technology set up a library-wide wiki with sections for each department. Its cataloging department maintains an online manual of local cataloging practices. At the University of Maine, the monograph acquisitions procedures are posted on PBworks. All the staff in the department can access and edit the content. Other departments are restricted to read-only access.
Library Intranet or Resource Page
The University of Central Missouri library uses MediaWiki as a resource page with access to forms, documents, committee and team minutes, and even recipes. The minutes can be opened and edited by team members. Swiki was the tool of choice for Oregon State University, with space for workgroups, committees, and projects. Internal policies and practices are stored on a wiki at the National Network of Libraries of Medicine. Pathfinders are also included, such as one for free government medical images. The most popular part of the wiki is the travel page, with restaurant and hotel recommendations, since the staff travels frequently.
Committees and Projects
Wikis are an ideal medium for group members to work together, whether they are in the same building or separated geographically. A SharePoint wiki was used by a committee at Yakima Valley Libraries to brainstorm, create a rough draft, and store minutes.
Event Planning
The Kirkpatrick performance series team at the University of Central Missouri utilizes PBworks to plan student performances in the library. Tasks for each event are listed on the wiki, and color coding indicates if a task is in process or completed.
Workflow Control and Maintenance
The longest-running wiki at the University of Southern Mississippi library functions as a master list of digitized materials that need basic metadata entered. The digitization staff adds titles to the wiki when they are ready for the catalogers. Work in progress and date completed are also recorded.
HOW TO PREVENT WIKI “FADE-AWAY”
Although there are plenty of active, thriving wikis in libraries, sometimes “they just seem to fade away from lack of use,” as colleague Nancy Chesik once told me. Successful wikis share at least some of the following characteristics:
If you establish a wiki, realize that adoption will take time. Lombardo, Mower, and McFarland suggest that team projects benefit from a designated leader to motivate and keep them on track.2 A change of habit may be required. A conference wiki has been used with limited success by the Association of Christian Librarians for attendees to ask questions about the location, arrange rides to and from the airport, and give first-timers suggestions. Members are so accustomed to using the active discussion list that they forget to use the wiki.
ADDITIONAL CONCERNS
As useful as wikis can be, there are additional issues that need to be considered.
Successful wikis fill a real need, but they do require buy-in and participation from the users. This chapter provides some examples of successful wikis in other libraries. How can a wiki benefit yours?
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