How to Create and Use a Wiki in Your Library

Are you considering about taking the plunge into the planet of web two. with your library and building a wiki? I not too long ago place collectively a productive wiki for my college library and so I would like to share some success strategies for how to do it effectively.

1. Which wiki platform are you going to use? This is critical mainly because there are hundreds of them out there and they all differ in terms of ease of use, price, and setup as effectively as the capacity to control who can view your wiki as nicely as who can post to your wiki.

two. Do you want to use your wiki exclusively as a approach of organizing and altering material on your web page? Or do you want to use the wiki to permit your patrons to interact with each and every other?

3. What is the precise purpose for your wiki? To communicate involving library workers? To communicate with your patrons? To let your patrons communicate with every single other?

four. What content material are you going to consist of on your wiki? Just links to other pages on your library web web page, a searchable library catalog, information about library classes and events, popular books, news and announcements or other items?

5. Do you want to spend for a wiki service or do you want to use a cost-free wiki?

six. Is there a tech assistance individual offered to assist you install your wiki and to help with some periodic upkeep? If not, do Deep web links have a librarian who can take charge of the wiki and its updates and the technological side of maintaining a wiki? A wiki is a lot less complicated to use and hold up with on a regular site, nonetheless, you can not just place it up and never ever devote time operating on it.

7. It also aids if you can develop some wiki particular content. In our case we produced subject pages for each of the important subjects taught at our college and integrated links to databases, magazines, books, ebooks, specialized encyclopedias and internet sites for every topic. We also have our library news and policies amongst other things of interest to our patrons on our wiki. You need 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 far more and far more libraries and other companies begin employing them, it is to your benefit to discover how to use 1 and to choose if it is ideal for your library.