Week 7, Thing 16, Wikis

The one thing that stands out in my sampling of wikis is that, though the format of the wikis does not change drastically, the content is wide open. It seems that many wikis must never get off the ground--some were last updated 2-3 years ago and some had no comments at all.

The Library Bloggers Wiki was fun because there were so many Wikis listed. I went into the School Libraries section and explored several school library wikis and there was quite a bit of variety. Some were much more vital and active than others. Some looked like they might have been created with good intent or as part of a class or project and then left to die. It challenged me to make my library wiki better and more active. I definitely need a blog --I think I will start with a book discussion one restricted to our school at first. I'll see if I can actually stimulate enough NPHS students to participate to make it interesting. If not, I will expand to the District and, if necessary, to the world.

I liked the idea of the wiki for special events like the conference one. In the last AkLA conference hosted by Fairbanks, we had a website but I like the idea of a Wiki that includes some more interactive areas, like a blog of general questions and/or special topics. Maybe some discussion of what attendees would like for entertainment and tours. Or a place to answer questions that people might have if they were unfamiliar with particulars regarding Fairbanks. Also a place that attendees can connect with acquaintances from other places in Alaska who may be attending. Endless possibilities.

I was so taken with the Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki that I joined it. It is so full of information and possibilities that I hope I have a suitable amount of time to spend on it and that I can contribute something useful to it. Seems like a person could get an answer to any question here and information on any topic for which questions arise.