When a problem comes along...

YOU MUST WIKI! Ok, I have so far managed to avoid the cutesy post title, but I've just gotta sing about wikis! I really like the idea of wikis, I like the way they're organized, I like that lot's of people or only a few people can edit them, I like how most (all?) of the wikis I've seen are very visually plain with the emphasis on the information, not the graphics. And I love, love LOVE Wikipedia. I can't tell you how many times I've stood in front of classrooms of students, (elementary-college age,) and warned them of the perils of using Wikipedia for homework, just to turn around and use the heck out of it at home. I've even used it on the ref desk! (Wikipedia is great for current and past pop culture.)

In the library, I think wikis are great for booklists, for technical manuals, even for committees to post their minutes, agendas and collaborative projects. I've edited wikis and find them very easy to use (much like this blogger software.) At MCL I helped with a multicultural booklist wiki and found that even some colleagues who were wary of editing the wiki quickly became comfortable using it. I created my own wiki, zines for teens, on which I was going to review zines that would be of interest to teens (it's HARD to establish collections with little to no reviews out there,) and setting up the wiki was very easy. Maintaining it, (reading zines and writing reviews,) proved too time-consuming.

The main thing to watch for with wikis is sources. I looked at Wiki Books Wikijunior and the Bugs page I looked at listed a bunch of great information about beetles, but not a single reference. Another page I looked at said it was a "junior version of the wikipedia article." So then I'd need to go to that site to see what sources were listed. I'd definitely steer kids clear of using this for homework.

But Wiki Books Cookbook is a perfect example of the greatness of wikis. A searchable cookbook that anyone who writes in English can edit. I'm less interested in their nutrition information (the page I looked at had no references other than Wikipedia,) but for recipes or cooking techniques, I think this could be very useful.

What do you think about libraries taking part in social networking sites?

I like it. Our YAAB page is a good example of what a library can do in myspace. I think it's a great place to have a presence and advertise books and library events. I think FVRL could also have a page that marketed our online HOMEWORK resources and had the option for homework help chat with a librarian. The arguments against it, saying 'we need to stay out of teen spaces cuz they might not want us there,' are moot because we wouldn't be soliciting friends. We're just there and if teens want to be our friend, then cool.

When I worked as a librarian at Portland Community College one of the student library helpers was adamant that the PCC library should have presence in myspace. She said that she was on her myspace account several times a day and she would appreciate getting messages from the library on that account. What kind of messages? How about new books, change of hours, you need to renew your materials...

I think FVRL would also benefit from a Facebook account. This would attract the "older" crowd and could include messages about hours and events. This would also be one more venue to solicit feedback and ideas from the community regarding the library and what our users would like to see us do.

I think the main concerns are: keeping up with the current social networking sites...don't stay on myspace once the majority of users have moved on; make sure that the personnel time spent on managing the pages is worth the PR and interactions we are getting out of it; can these sites be accessed at the library, or are they blocked by filters?