Looking Around

I finished my first studio tour the other day. It was neat seeing what others in the class had been up to. I also already got some comments on my own wiki. The suggestion was for a more personal spin, so I am goona look at developing an informal page for help and information. Next week I plan to look over the rest of the evals and see what direction they take me.

Helium Rocks!

So I posted my first article on Helium. I think this is gonna be a new way to procrastinate, while still feeling like I accomplished something. I haven't yet, but I am curious to see what if any articles have been written about blogs, wikis, or libraries.

Studio Tour, Midterm Eval, Editing, etc.

This week I plan to proof-read and edit what I had added since the last time. I will also look at 3 other classmates projects. I am looking forward to getting feedback, because I am running out of ideas for things to add to my wiki. One review suggested adding a more personal spin, so I am gonna explore that idea a little more. I am also gonna see what some common problems/questions the other librarians run into.

Norwich University Wiki Analysis

Norwich University (NU) has created a wiki that has created a hybrid version of my own wiki. MediaWiki powers this wiki. The NU wiki is part of the Library Staff page. The purpose of this wiki is to provide information, announcements, resources, etc. for the staff to better aid the public with reference services. "Most importantly, exploiting knowledge can be a major “advantage for libraries, which can translate into better service to users” (Jantz, 2001).” This wiki follows a similar format to my own. There is a main box of the comments and clicking on that link brings one to the answers relating to that topic. The Reference Resources section is a very thorough page, describing the capabilities of each of the different search engines.

Treating the wiki like a book, or help section similar to the one computers pop up in similar windows, creates a familiar format which is more inviting and easier for a wide audience to access. Often times if a system is new or complicated it will not reach someone as easily as one that is more ‘plain Jane’. I have opted for simplicity and mass use, rather than fancy and elite.

My own wiki, Northern Owl, has more step-by-step instructions than the NU wiki does. The format of both wikis is easy to follow. The categories start out wide and narrow a topic down, so one is not lost in the hub of information. "Due to its fluid and open structure, a wiki can quickly become disorganized. To address this potential problem, users of a new wiki usually develop or adopt norms and conventions for naming pages and adding content to help the wiki stay consistent (Fichter, 2005b)." (Kille)

Wikis offer a great way for libraries to create a free, readily accessible knowledge management system. The NU wiki is part of a larger whole and it does not appear to foster the same amount of student input as the other wiki I reviewed. NU still has more work and expansion to do; some of the pages created do not have any content yet.

While searching for wiki articles about libraries and wikis I found this very in-depth site, which quotes many other resources about this topic. One of the sections mentions why wikis or ‘Knowledge Management Tools’ are a good fit for reference librarians. The items on this list match almost exactly, what I had in mind when beginning my project.

(a) systematically collect and organize explicit and tacit knowledge,
(b) increase efficiency in locating answers to frequently answered questions,
(c) improve decisions regarding sources to consult,
(d) improve knowledge sharing,
(e) acquire more in-depth knowledge of the library and its resources,
(f) better understand the types of questions asked at the reference desk,
(g) improve collection development, and
(h) improve patron access to information (Gandhi, 2004).
Overall, successful knowledge management in library reference services can help “establish internal benchmarks, identify and record best practices, and create an environment of continuous learning” (Gandhi, 2004, p. 378).

I recommend anyone and everyone taking a look at this site. It has a wealth of knowledge on the academic purposes wikis can serve. The author, Angela Kille, also includes a list of references and links.

Librarian.net Analysis

While my own project is a wiki, I thought it only fair to look at and review what is being done on blogs relating to libraries. Librarian.net is as she states, "putting the rarin' back in librarian since 1999". Jessamyn West, the creator of the blog, does not go over specific how-to instructions for using the library she works at. West instead has created a blog, which fits many of the criteria discussed in Sebastien Paquet's article "Personal knowledge publishing and its uses in research". In Paquet's discussion of the uses of weblogs he lists 5 main things; selection of material, personal knowledge management, conversation, social networking, and information routing.

West focuses her blog on libraries and information to help other librarians and patrons. Her interests lie in promoting libraries and the growing technologies becoming available for use in libraries. Her site is an accumulation of selected materials relating to the above-mentioned topics.

Not all of West’s shared information is from outside sources. One reason for her blog is because, “I’ve always had things I wanted to tell and show people online and the nascent blog became the way to do that.” West gives talks around the country and posts her power point presentations online. Her posts give information for others and herself. Paquet says, “A weblog that you edit also serves as a chronological record of your thoughts, references and other notes that could otherwise be lost or disorganized.” Interesting sites, information, or her own musings can all be found on West’s blog.

Blogs open the door for comments, emails, and contacts. “Weblogs have evolved to become a medium for public discussion, in the process making the two-way nature of the Web much more prominent” (Paquet). One of the posts titled “American Libraries: Mattering in the Blogosphere” (http://www.librarian.net/stax/1990) is West’s answers to survey questions about blogging. Included in the post are links to other librarians who answered the same survey. Various opinions are given on the same topic and while not directly speaking to one another, there is a conversation going on. This leads into Paquet’s next use of weblogs; Social networking.

The internet allows people from all over to be connected. Blogs and Myspace pages allow for easier discoveries of people with similar interests. West even added a Myspace page to her list of friends, which was set up for a library, not the librarians, but the library. Social networking is broken down into 2 areas. “First, hyperlinked conversations can be found everywhere and attest to the existence of a web of relationships. Second, blogrolling lists go further, essentially asserting that a particular weblogger has enough interest in another to regularly read what he or she has to say.” (Paquet) Librarians from around the world are able to offer advice, compare different catalogue systems, etc. The possibility for sharing personal/academic knowledge has been brought into a larger network than was ever possible before the internet.

Paquet also talks about Information routing. The idea that information will float around out in the World Wide Web until it comes back to you. One librarian site will quote another, which will eventually come back to the first site.

So while West's Librarian.net site is a great example of using a blog for publishing personal knowledge, it does not show how a blog could fit the format necessary for creating a manual on the web.

CSU wiki analysis

Charles Sturt University (CSU) Library Wiki

This wiki is hosted on Wetpaint Wiki, which claims to be "Great for families, hobbies, causes, fan sites, and anything in between. Wetpaint combines the best elements of wikis, blogs, and social networks." At first glance, this seems to be a very accurate description of the CSU Wiki. There is a navigation box, much like a calendar box on a blog. There are also adds along the side bar, comments, and recent activities on this page. The 'Page Toolbox' lets you know exactly what can and cannot be done to the page, this would be helpful since the setting on wikis can vary from one page to the next.

The purpose of the wiki is stated right away:
Collaborative resource. The site has been seeded with the contents of our print FAQ's, and the library team would like students and other CSU staff to provide any additional content. Feel free to create your own pages on topics that would interest others. Have you found a great blog, know where to get free software to download podcasts or have some great shortcut you use in Word? Don't keep it to yourself...please share with the rest of us. The library wiki has the potential to become a valuable shared knowledge base.

This site is not only a place for the pooled knowledge of a select group, but also a meeting center for others. My own wiki currently only deals with the knowledge and information of one group, University Library Staff, but creating a space where people could add their own tips would be very valuable and in keeping with the collaborative wiki tradition.

This as Ullises Ali Mejias states is part of the beauty of a wiki. “A wiki is different that authors don’t have to be in the same physical space, don’t have to have a previous relationship with each other, and don’t need to plan their actions in any way.”

Libraries are sources of information and resources for people no matter what their major or interests. By creating an open space, where time and place is not a factor, people who would have never met in person can still share tips and tricks ranging from the broad to the very particular.

This meeting place does no good however, if people are unable to find each other. A page may be covered in text or have so many other side boxes, comments, etc. that picking out what is relevant from what isn’t can become too big a chore. “How you make sense of the blog has a lot to do with the visual arrangement of the text.” (Mejias)

While I applaud the idea of creating a meeting place for faculty, staff, and students to share resources and ask questions I am not sure that the visual form of the CSU Wiki allows for easy navigation. Most of the pages are covered in comments or advertisements. The categories listed on the navigation sidebar have little to do with research and using the library. One section on complaints about the libraries website is the closest this wiki comes to dealing with library related information. This site is otherwise a meeting grounds for students to send out random/interesting information for everyone else to view. I went to the library website and that seems to fit more with the purpose of my own wiki. In the ‘Ask Us’ section one can search for answers to previously asked questions, or send their own in to be answered.

For a side by side comparison of my wiki to another, this site is not the best choice. The CSU wiki does not create a step-by-step how to for using the library website, resources, or other common library questions like NorthernOwl. CSU wiki, has however given me a new direction to take NorthernOwl. I plan to continue with what I have already started, but I also plan to add a new section where students can go to post questions, create their own topic pages, and offer their own research/class related advice. This will help as Mejias says, “to de-prioritize the individual voice in favor of the collective voice”.

Reference:
"Social Literacies: Some observations about writing and wikis"
by Ullises Ali Mejias

It's coming along

I have finished the editing, cleanup phase. These are the things I have left to do:

a couple more pages to create
a list of new things that need to be added to the old pages
edit new additions
read/comment/evaluate other wiki's and a blog
presentation

The process of editing and things to remember

The editing process is not as painful as I thought it would be. I did have a broken link and some typos, which have now been fixed.
Note to Self:
When evaluating the other wikis look at the format and layout.
What works/what doesn't
Color choices, graphics, etc.

Clean up

While I am taking a rest from adding anything new, I just can't stay away from working on my wiki. Over Spring Break I will be going over what I already have done and checking for typos, bad links, and other general mistakes.

Reminders

More questions present themselves as time goes on. It can be a little tricky to do something and stop after each step to write it down. Over Spring Break I will be taking 'a rest' from my work as morgan says. The monday after break I will pick up where I left off, posting my analysis of the 3 other library wikis/blog. Below is a reminder of things to do in the near future.

• On Monday review the first of the 3 different library projects posted earlier.
• Have someone else read over step by step instructions to check for clarity.
• Begin thinking of pictures of the library which would aid instructions.
  

Comments Please

So this is my Wiki project please check it out. I am trying to create a how-to site for the A.C. Clark Library. Please leave any comments, suggestions, or questions under this heading so I know where they will all be located. Thank you for your help.

Weblogs and Wikis oh my!

After searching through various Library Blogs and Wikis I have found 3 sites created with goals similar to the ones I have for my own wiki. In the next couple weeks I will be looking at them and deciding what works, what doesn't and the differences in using a blog versus a wiki. These are the following sites:
http://csulibrary.wetpaint.com/ (Wiki)
http://wiki.nulibrary.com/index.php?title=Public_Services_Wiki (Wiki)
http://www.librarian.net/stax/1986 (Blog)

First New Page!

So the first new page was added last night, 'Course Reserve'. I also managed to find a nice owl pic to put on the homepage. I hope to eventually put up pictures, perhaps step by steps, of the library as well. This weekend I plan to find one site similar to mine, so I have it available to critique later next week.