Wikis

= Wikis =

toc "Wiki" is a Hawaiian word meaning "fast" or "quick". In the world of information science, it has taken on a new meaning. Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia that made "wiki" a household word, defines this term as follows: "A wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used collaboratively by multiple users. Examples include community websites, corporate intranets, knowledge management systems, and note services."

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Background
The first wiki was a website called WikiWikiWeb, designed by Ward Cunningham and Bo Leuf in 1995. Cunningham originally described it as "the simplest online database that could possibly work." That is perhaps the main reason for wikis' popularity: Simplicity. They simplify editing, markup, site organization, and creation of new pages and links. Their simplicity and open editing encourage collaboration. This makes them useful for activities such as "sharing information, supporting association work, collecting software documentation, supporting conferences, facilitating librarian-to-faculty collaboration, creating digital repositories, managing Web content, creating Intranets, providing reference desk support, creating knowledge bases, creating subject guides, and collecting reader reviews" (Bejune, 32).

**In libraries**
The use of wikis has grown exponentially in the past few years. Libraries are using them in a number of ways: For example, subject guides, library Web sites, knowledge bases, and event planning (Yoose, 137). Wikis make collaboration convenient, because any authorized user can edit the document and create new documents. Bejune looked into how libraries use wikis for collaboration among librarians versus collaboration involving patrons (p. 29). She found many examples of collaboration among librarians but very little involving patrons. Some examples help illustrate why.

Collaboration among librarians:
Some wikis were made with collaboration across libraries in mind. Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki is a wiki where librarians from different institutions can contribute best practices for several areas of librarianship. Melinda Farkas, the Head of Instructional Services Portland State University, is its creator and manager. According to Farkas, the goal of the wiki is to gather together all the information about best practices in libraries that is currently scattered across many blogs and websites into one location. Since it is a wiki, anyone who creates an account with the page can make changes (Introduction page).

The Library Instruction Wiki started in Oregon. It was originally created as intra-organizational but grew into an extra-organizational site that supports library instruction for anyone. Its purpose is to be "...a collaboratively developed resource for librarians involved with or interested in instruction. All librarians and others interested in library instruction are welcome and encouraged to contribute" (Library Instruction Wiki, 2006).

Some libraries use wikis for collaboration among their staff. The Miami University Libraries created a wiki for its Technical Services department (Yoose, 137). The University of Connecticut Libraries' Staff Wiki is a knowledge base of information technology services (ITS) documents. ITS documents support the information technology needs of the library organization. Examples include answers to commonly asked questions, user manuals, and instructions for a variety of computer operations. In addition to being a repository of ITS documents, the wiki also serves as a portal to other wikis within the University of Connecticut Libraries.

Collaboration involving patrons:
Very few attempts to use wikis for this purpose have been tried. Of the three Bejune found (2007), none of them exist today. The Biz Wiki from Ohio Uruversity Librarieswas a collection of business information resources available through Ohio University. It was created by Chad Boeninger, Business Librarian, as an alternate form of a subject guide or pathfinder to direct users to the best Business sources the library can access. The page has been discontinued "due to advances in technologies and changing student/faculty needs" (Boeninger, email). Boeninger decided to use a blog instead for the type of content the wiki was made for. He placed a message saying he would take it down completely in Summer, 2011, but as of November the site and some of the most popular wikis were still available (Boeninger, n.d.). Similarly, Butler WikiRef used to have reviews of reference resources from Butler librarians, faculty, staff, and students. It is no longer available.

Wiki WorldCat was a feature that allowed Open Worldcat users to write reviews of catalog items. Sponsored by OCLC, it was launched as a pilot project in September, 2005 (p. 31). It allowed "those who have located library items through Open WorldCat to return to the interface and add evaluative content" (Product Works). It is still listed among features on the website, but the link goes to a non-wiki version of this function.

Why have wikis been successful within the profession but unsuccessful in collaboration with or among patrons? When asked why a blog served student/faculty needs better, Boeninger replied, " Basically the Wiki is better for more static content, and WordPress is better for more dynamic content, while also having the ability to host static pages. I can automate a lot of things in WordPress that I had to do by hand in the wiki" (Boeninger, Nov. 22). Regarding Butler WikiRef, a response to the question "What happened to RefWiki?", asked on the BUAnswers page, yielded this answer from Butler Librarian Scott Pfitzinger, MLS: "RefWiki ran from Fall 2005 to Spring 2007. It ended up being something we tried that just didn't really take off. Many of the functions of RefWiki have been covered by our LibGuides and the Primo Discovery Tool" (November 21).

If librarians in fact want to create more collaboration with patrons, wikis may not be the right tool. However, as a collaboration tool among librarians, wikis can indeed be useful.

Software
In a survey, Bejune (2007) ranked the most popular software for wikis in libraries. "Media Wiki is the most popular software utilized by libraries (33.3 percent), followed by unknown (30.3 percent), PBWiki (12.1 percent), PmWiki (12.1 percent), SeedWiki (6.1 percent), TWiki (3 percent), and XWiki (3 percent). If the values for unknown are removed from the totals (table 3), Media Wiki is utilized in almost half (47.8percent) of all library wiki applications" (Bejune, p. 32).

**References**
Bejune, M. M. (2007, September). Wikis in libraries. //Information Technology and Libraries, 26//(3), 26-38. Retrieved from Academic Search Premiere.

Boeninger, C. F. (n.d.). Biz Wiki to be discontinued.

Boeninger, C. F., email, November 22, 2011.

Farkas, M. (n.d.). Library Source: A best practices wiki.

Kroski, E. (2008). //Web 2.0 for librarians and information professionals//. New York,NY: Neal Schuman Publishers.

Pritzinger, S. (2011, November 21). BUAnswers. Butler University Libraries.

Worldcat. (n.d.). ProductWorks.

OCLC. (n.d.). Features.

Yoose, B. (2011, March). Wiki adoption and use in academic library technical services: An exploratory study. //Technical Services Quarterly, 28//(2). 132-159. http://buanswers.butler.edu/a.php?qid=114948#reply