I once had a hard time understanding Wikis, especially the first time I did 23 Things. A simple way to explain a Wiki is to think of a way to share information on the Internet with everyone and allow others to edit and add information. Thus, it becomes a continuous source of information constantly being updated and added to. So, now looking at the idea of the Wiki a second time I have to ask - how can I apply Wikis to libraries and information literacy? Thankfully there are some incredible libraries and associations using Wikis in an extraordinarily way:
ALA offers 42 different Wiki pages used for everything from Tech Casting, E-Government, to Bookmobiles and Emerging Library Leaders:
http://wikis.ala.org/readwriteconnect/index.php/ALA_wikis
I particularly like the Every Child Ready to Read Wiki:
http://wikis.ala.org/ecrr/index.php/Main_Page
In addition, there are several different Wikis on Information Literacy:
http://infolit.bibliotech.us/wiki/tiki-index.php
http://infolit.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page
The St. Joseph County Public Library developed a Wiki to create subject guides:
http://www.libraryforlife.org/subjectguides/index.php/Main_Page
The subject guide list is plentiful and illustrates magazines in the library collection as well as reliable links to further resources about any particular subject that patrons may be looking for. A Wiki can be even more advantageous in this case as opposed to a blog. For example, if other librarians are able to edit the subject guides they may be able to edit in additional resources or links that another librarian may have missed. The Wiki does not have a great deal of visual impact but for hands on learners they are able to explore many different options when searching through the subject guides. This can offer a variety of choices that are quickly accessible for all learners seeking information and can easily evaluate the different sources.
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