Monday, October 29, 2007

Quest 9 - Wikis

I enjoyed this quest about wikis. I went this past spring to see the founder of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales, speak at Converse College. Many questions at the end of his talk were about the authority and accuracy of the entries. He was quick to point out that he never intended Wikipedia to be used as a reference source. However, most of the entries are written by people who are experts in that area. I would never use Wikipedia as a research paper source but it is a good place to begin research since there usually are links to articles and other sites that could be used for sources. I find myself using it often just to satisfy a simple question I may have had or to find other websites for the information I need.
Anyway, back to this quest. I noticed on a couple of the library wikis that a user had to have a login or password to be able to edit the wiki - just like on Tech Trek's wiki. This is a great way to ensure that the information on a wiki is what was intended. I think it would be great to have a Recommended Reading wiki or a Things to do in Charleston wiki attached to CCPL's website. Maybe it's editing could be limited to those who have a library card. I also liked the pathfinder wikis. What a great way to go to one place on the net to find answers for reference patrons instead of rummaging through the vertical file!

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