WIKI is a Hawaiian word that means, "quick". How clever of someone to use this word to name a "collaborative website". A collaborative website allows anyone to enter the site and write, edit, change or update the information on the site. The program that allows this is referred to an an "authoring tool". One of the most famous collaborative websites is Wikipedia. Click on the link to learn more about it. It's an online encyclopedia that allows people (registered people?) to write information and/or change the information there in.
Of the collaborative websites offered, I explored BOOK LOVERS WIKI and ALA 2006 New Orleans Wiki.
BOOK LOVERS WIKI was by far the most interesting. The site is run by the Princeton Public Library, in Princeton, New Jersey by a library patron, I think. Anyway, the site is not officially a part of the Princeton Public Library program. It was a Wiki experiment that essentially allowed anyone participating in the library's summer reading program to post reviews and rating about the books they were reading or listening to. The site organized the reviews by book genre and star-ratings. There was information about how to write a review and about all the awards being offered for those who posted a review. I was fascinated. Click on Book Lovers Wiki to visit the site.
This idea could work for my library (Montgomery County Department of Public Libraries, Maryland). There are several book club in the MCPL branches. If all the clubs could be connected via a WIKI, the members could write their own reviews, and post tips resulting from their group's practices and events. The site could ultimately be used as a Readers Advisory for all their library patrons and help them decide which book group to join.
The ALA 2006 NEW ORLEANS WIKI site was put up by the American Library Association to help members navigate New Orleans during their 2006 convention. Included was tips on WIKI, the conference agenda, links to New Orleans web site and public transportation sites. My library system could use a wiki like that for our Staff Day event, which generally pulls staff members from all over the county to a specific (sometimes unknown) place. Staff members could post their thoughts and experiences about the event. Click on ALA 2006 New Orleans WIKI to check out the site.
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