Use of WIKIs by Libraries Gerry Mckiernan 14 Aug 2004 16:14 UTC

_Use of WIKIs by Libraries_

Colleagues/

I am greatly interested in the Use of WIKIs by Libraries for Any and
All public or internal library services  (e.g., public services,
technical services, administrative services, collection development,
instruction, etc.).

As defined by the Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page), a
WIKI is defined as:

"A wiki (pronounced "wicky" or "weeky") is a website (or other
hypertext document collection) that gives users the ability to add
content, as on an Internet forum, but also allows that content to be
edited by other users.

The term can also refer to the collaborative software used to create
such a website.
Wiki (with a capital 'W') and WikiWikiWeb are sometimes used to refer
to the Portland Pattern Repository, the first ever wiki. Proponents of
this usage suggest using a lower-case 'w' to distinguish the generic
terms discussed here. Wiki wiki comes from the Hawaiian term for
'quick' or 'super-fast'"
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki).

BTW: The Wikipedia is itself an outstanding example of a WIKI!

Regards,

/Gerry

Gerry McKiernan
Super-Fast Librarian
Iowa State University
Ames IA 50011

gerrymck@iastate.edu