Wiking in your library: a practical overview
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Wiking in your library:
a practical overview
Presented for the Vancouver Association of Law Libraries
(VALL)
Eugene Barsky, Physiotherapy Outreach Librarian,
Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, UBC
eugene.barsky@ubc.ca
http://weblogs.elearning.ubc.ca/physio/
October 19, 2006
Agenda
z Wikis definitions and background
z Pros and cons of Wikis
z How we (and others) use Wikis
z Larger context – Web 2.0 information society
2
Wiki - definitions
z Surprisingly, there are not too many definitions for Wiki out
there
z It seems that there is a consensus as for what Wiki is
3
Wiki - definitions
z "Wiki" is Hawaiian for quick. "WikiWiki" means really quick.
z Ward Cunningham, the creator of the first Wiki
[http://c2.com/cgi-bin/Wiki], liked the name, from his frequent
rides on the WikiWiki shuttle buses at the Honolulu International
Airport.
4Wiki - definitions
z Wikipedia defines Wiki as: ”a type of website that allows the
visitors themselves to easily add, remove and otherwise edit and
change some available content, sometimes without the need for
registration.” [http://en.Wikipedia.org/Wiki/Wiki]
z Ward Cunningham, the creator of the first Wiki, defines it as “the
simplest online database that could possibly work"
z The most well known Wiki is undoubtedly Wikipedia
5Wiki - definitions
z Wikipedia features more than 3.8 million articles, 1.5 million of
which are in English.
z It is searchable via all search engines or its own search interface
6Wiki - definitions
z Most (but not all) entries in Wikipedia can be edited
z Under the "history" tab, users track the evolution of articles
z Wikipedia also features a "discussion" tab, where users can debate
issues raised in the encyclopedia's entries.
7Why Wiki? Technology Pros…
z A simple design that allows for quick and easy creation of web
pages, by making each page editable in an HTML-based editor
z Simple rules for linking pages: You link to another page within the
Wiki simply by writing the name you want in a certain fashion
(normally by enclosing it in [[square brackets]]). If the page exists, it
becomes a live link. If not, clicking on the link will take you to the
editor to create a new page.
z Saving of all old version of pages, so that errors can be corrected
simply by going to a prior, correct version.
z Tracking of who have edited what, for each version (by user names
or IPs)
8Why Wiki? Management
Philosophy Pros…
z Most common (but not always) is that anyone can edit anything –
that is, if a reader of a page spots an error or wants to extend it (or
create a new page), he or she can do that directly, simply by clicking
a button
z That overall direction of the content and style of the Wiki is set by
the readers in common, and that leadership is taken by those with
time, energy, expertise or charisma
9Examples of Wiki usage
z A local library association is looking for an easy way to create and
maintain its Web site
z A professional association special interest group wants to provide an
easily updated Web-based resource for its members
z A company would like any authorized staff member to be able to
update content on its intranet as necessary, without needing to use
specialist software
10Examples of Wiki usage
z A conference planning committee needs a Web-based tool to keep
track of their activities and who is doing what
z Three people in different parts of the world are jointly writing a
conference paper and would like to be able to see each other's work in
context, rather than as individual word processing documents
11Why Wiki? The Cons…
z Wikis' use of collective knowledge is often seen as their greatest
strength, however it is also their greatest weakness
z Malicious users sometimes edit entries with deliberately false
information
z More, some Wikis have been flooded with WikiSpam
12Wiki Spam - Prevention
z Techniques for dealing with WikiSpam are evolving, and currently include:
1) increasing the level of security, usually by requiring a password to
use the ‘edit’ function;
2) blocking updates from IP addresses of known spammers;
3) blocking updates that contain specific unwanted words or phrases;
4) restricting the number of links that can be added in a single update;
5) "hiding" the Wiki site from search engines by implementing "no
index" and "nofollow" metadata tags on wiki pages; and
6) requiring any links to external sites to be approved by an
administrator.
13Use of Wikis - Research
z Wikis could be used for research, if with caution
z Wikis can:
z Quickly locate extensive background material
z Lead to additional and sometimes unexpected resources
z Analyze current events (particularly in the discussion section
of a particular Wiki article)
14Use of Wikis - Research
z Wikis focusing on specific topics might be of particular interest:
z Wikinews (http://en.Wikinews.org/), provides background
information and resources for current events in different
languages
z Wikitravel (http://Wikitravel.org/) includes thousands of
destination guides
15Use of Wikis - Research
z In law, there are also some Wikis that might be of interest:
z WikiLaw (www.Wikilaw.org) - focus on United States law
z Wikilaw (http://Wiki-law.org)
z JurisPedia (www.jurispedia.org) - is a open legal Wiki, therefore
researchers should carefully evaluate any information found
there
z Wex (www.law.cornell.edu/wex/), from the Cornell Law School's
Legal Information Institute uses only authors that are deemed
qualified
z LawLibWik (http://www.editthis.info/lawlibrary/ ), law library Wiki
by Deborah Ginsberg from the Illinois Institute of Technology
16Use of Wikis - Research
z One of the most interesting wikis is wiki-How
[http://www.wikihow.com] - The How-To Manual That Anyone Can
Write or Edit
z http://www.wikihow.com/Act-like-Steven-Seagal
17Use of Wikis - Collaboration
z Intriguingly, Wikis are best used not for research but to organize
resources and projects
z Three (3) examples from the UBC Library:
1) MyTelus Health Project – Consumer Health Wiki
[http://consumerhealth.pbWiki.com/ (Locked)]
z Irving K. Barber Learning Centre librarians collaborating to create
content for the MyTelus Health portal – share ideas, discussion, topic
follow-ups, etc.
18Use of Wikis - Collaboration
2) African and Diaspora Children's Literature Project @ UBC
Educational Library (www.africanchildrenslit.org)
z This is a online, collaborative resource for children, parents,
caregivers, teachers and librarians to experience African and
Diaspora literature.
z Was compiled with Library staff and Faculty of Education members
contributing to the project
19Use of Wikis - Collaboration
3) UBC HealthLib-Wiki - A Knowledge-Base for Health Librarians
(http://hlWiki.slais.ubc.ca)
z The project objective is to build a health sciences librarianship
Wiki with an international perspective, but also to emphasize
issues affecting practice in Canada
20Use of Wikis - Collaboration -
Companies
z There are a number of companies that use Wiki for internal
collaboration:
z Microsoft is using a CorporateWiki for the
CsharpLanguageDiscussion
z Motorola is using a Wiki on their intranet within the confines of
single project teams
z Daedalos International is using Wikis for general company
communications
21Creating a Wiki - QuickiWiki, SWiki, TWiki,
or ZWiki?
z Like Weblogs, Wikis can be created using a
variety of mostly free applications and without
knowing HTML
z Wikimatrix (www.Wikimatrix.org), allows users
to compare many Wiki applications
z Many open-source Wiki applications (e.g. Media
Wiki) are available free of charge, however,
installing these applications requires technical
expertise and sometimes even a dedicated
server.
22Creating a Wiki - QuickiWiki, SWiki, TWiki,
or ZWiki?
z Moreover, many Wikis can be created directly on the Internet
through sites that host Wikis ("Wiki farms")
z For example, Edit This (http://editthis.info) offers users free Wikis
using the MediaWiki application
23Would you use Wiki?
z Legal Wikis could be used in academic libraries to teach
research concepts
z Wikis that attempt to gather everything that is known about the
law, while an interesting concept, may not work very well in the
long run
z Wikis' inherent lack of authority would keep many legal
researchers away from general law Wikis which can hardly
compete with well-established and extensive commercial
databases
24Would you use Wiki?
z If you are considering an open Web collaboration, why not
consider using online text editor – Writely (now Google Office) or
Zoho Collaboration Suite ( word, excel, powerpoint, etc.) rather
than Wiki?
z http://www.zohowriter.com
25Would you use Wiki - Verdict
z Wiki is an excellent tool for internal projects collaboration,
internal brainstorming and ideas sharing
z For external projects try an online social software
z Wiki is questionable for legal research, however might be of use
to find unusual or anecdotal information
26Larger Context – Web 2.0 society
z Wiki is just another tool among other Web 2.0 applications we can
use in our everyday practice: RSS, blogs, podcasts, specialized
search engines, social networks, social bookmarks, etc. are
among the others
z For more Web 2.0 applications, take a look on a series of articles
I wrote for JCHLA (free, open-access):
z Barsky E., & Purdon M. “Introducing Web 2.0: Social networking and social bookmarking”. JCHLA ,
27 (3), 65-67
z Barsky E. “Introducing Web 2.0: Webloging and podcasting for health librarians”. JCHLA , 27 (2), 33-
34
z Barsky E. “Introducing Web 2.0: RSS trends for health librarians”. JCHLA, 27 (1), 7-8.
z Giustini D, & Barsky E. “A look at Google Scholar, PubMed and Scirus: comparisons and
recommendations”. JCHLA, 26 (3), 85-89.
27Bibliography
z Chawner, Brenda, Paul H. Lewis. 2006. WikiWikiWebs: New Ways to Communicate in a Web Environment.
Information Technology and Libraries 25, no. 1 (March) : 33-43.
z Clyde, Laurel A. 2005. Wikis. Teacher Librarian 32, no. 4 (April) : 54-56.
z Cochenour, Donnice. 2006. Is There a Wiki in Your (Library) Future? Colorado Libraries 32, no. 1 (Winter) : 34-36.
z Ginsberg, Deborah. 2006. A Wiki Wiki (Quick) Introduction to the Wide World of Wikis. AALL Spectrum 10, no. 9
(July) : 8-10.
z Gorman, G. E. 2005. Is the wiki concept really so wonderful? Online Information Review 29, no. 3: 225-226.
z Leuf, Bo. 2001. The wiki way : Quick collaboration on the web. Boston, MA ; Harlow: Addison-Wesley.
z Matthies, Brad, Jonathan Helmke, and Paul Slater. 2006. Using a Wiki to Enhance Library Instruction. Indiana
Libraries 25, no. 3: 32-34.
z McKiernan, Gerry. 2005. Science and Technology Wikis. Science & Technology Libraries 25, no. 4: 103-113.
z Oatman, Eric. 2005. Make Way for Wikis. School Library Journal 51, no. 11 (November) : 52-54.
z Tonkin, Emma. 2005. Making the Case for a Wiki [computer file]. Ariadne (Online) , no. 42 (January) : 1.
28Contact Info:
Eugene Barsky
Physiotherapy Outreach Librarian
Irving K. Barber Learning Centre
University of British Columbia
1961 East Mall
Vancouver, BC
Phone: (604) 827-4088
Fax: (604) 822-9122
Email: eugene.barsky@ubc.ca
MSN: eugene.barsky@ubc.ca
Blog: http://weblogs.elearning.ubc.ca/physio/
Web: http://www.ikebarberlearningcentre.ubc.ca/
29You can also read
