#17 Playing around with PBWiki

There are lots of good links here to explore, and it seems like a great way to share information.
A google search on Pbwikis came up with some similar tools- Wikispaces Wetpaint and Zoho.
It took me a couple of tries to get the link posted in the right spot, but it was straightforward enough to edit the page once I'd signed in.

#16 So what’s in a wiki?

I took a look at the St. Joseph County Public Library Wiki first. It seems to function much like a regular homepage for a library, with all the kind of information you would expect to find. The big difference is that staff would be able to edit any page without html knowledge, and update in real time. I was suprised at first that patrons needed to log in to edit the blog, as this seems to go against the concept of wikis as open access, but after looking at Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki the reason was obvious. Their wiki had previously been openly accessible but forced to change to an email confirmation& password system due to site 'vandalism'. So I guess the advantage of wikis in being open to anyone to edit is also their disadvantage. Most of these sites seem to have got around the problem quite well though, as anyone can participate once they have registered.

The Library Success Wiki is aimed at librarians, with a view to sharing information and ideas. This looks like a great way for librarians to exchange knowledge and experience in an informal way, without time constraints of meetings, emails or phone calls.

The Princeton Public Library Booklovers Wiki is self explanatory, and seems like something every library service should have, as it will generate more interest in reading and hopefully lead to more people coming through the door at the library.

Overall I see lots of potential for libraries using wikis. The fact that they allow user participation is a real strength, when all too often we are limited to word of mouth, email or feedback forms, and which only seem to invite passive comment rather than dialogue or actual engagement in library programs.

#15 On Library 2.0 & Web 2.0

There seems to be some difficulty in actually defining what the terms web 2.0 and library 2.0 are, with many different interpretations of what they involve, and argument as to just how revolutionary the concepts really are. Some have suggested, and I am tempted to agree, that the vagueness in the terms makes them little more than buzz words.

This said, I think the main concepts of library 2.0 like interactivity, collaboration and user created content are very worthwhile ideas, which haven't always been considered important in the past in libraries. There is still a risk, though, that we start to see the tools or technology (like wikis, blogs etc. in themselves as the revolutionary thing, when it's the way we use them that's important.