How to Build and Use a Wiki in Your Library
Are The hidden wiki pondering about taking the plunge into the planet of web 2. with your library and generating a wiki? I not too long ago put together a profitable wiki for my college library and so I would like to share some good results recommendations for how to do it effectively.
1. Which wiki platform are you going to use? This is important mainly because there are hundreds of them out there and they all differ in terms of ease of use, cost, and setup as effectively as the capacity to manage who can view your wiki as properly as who can post to your wiki.
two. Do you want to use your wiki exclusively as a process of organizing and changing material on your web page? Or do you want to use the wiki to permit your patrons to interact with every other?
3. What is the precise goal for your wiki? To communicate in between library personnel? To communicate with your patrons? To let your patrons communicate with every single other?
four. What content material are you going to contain on your wiki? Just links to other pages on your library web web page, a searchable library catalog, information about library classes and events, common books, news and announcements or other products?
five. Do you want to spend for a wiki service or do you want to use a free of charge wiki?
6. Is there a tech help particular person accessible to enable you install your wiki and to assist with some periodic upkeep? If not, do you have a librarian who can take charge of the wiki and its updates and the technological side of preserving a wiki? A wiki is a lot a lot easier to use and maintain up with on a regular website, having said that, you can’t just place it up and by no means devote time functioning on it.
7. It also assists if you can develop some wiki distinct content material. In our case we designed subject pages for every single of the important subjects taught at our college and integrated hyperlinks to databases, magazines, books, ebooks, specialized encyclopedias and internet sites for every single subject. We also have our library news and policies amongst other items of interest to our patrons on our wiki. You want to give your patrons a purpose to study the wiki and to use it.
8. Wikis are 1 of the technologies of the future and as much more and extra libraries and other enterprises begin working with them, it is to your benefit to learn how to use a single and to choose if it is ideal for your library.