OCLC Training Calendar:
Wikis for Libraries, with Dan Ream

Course description
Wikis are defined as collaborative websites whose content can be edited by anyone who has access to it. Most famous of these is the Wikipedia, which calls itself "Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit," at http://en.wikipedia.org/.

This workshop will look at wikis from several perspectives - as reference tools, with both strengths and weaknesses, and as collaborative working tools used by libraries and other organizations in internal operations.

We will look at prominent examples of wikis and best practices in wiki development and use. Should your library staff be using wikis for answering reference questions ... or anything else? The workshop will attempt to answer that question. Even if your library may not need wikis, the world at large is using wikis and librarians should understand why - and why not - these tools should be used.

What you will learn:

• How wikis are developed, constructed and edited
• Which wikis are of greatest value to researchers
• Which wikis are of greatest use to librarians
• How libraries can use wikis for internal operations

Topics covered include:

• Concerns about the validity and authority of wiki resources, particularly Wikipedia
• Quality control of wiki information
• How your library can use wikis for both researcher and librarian information