Week 6: Case Studies

Bull Run Library- This wiki does not seem to have much of a purpose or structure. There are only two headings: “News” and “Seen on the Web” and they mainly consist of links! The “News” section seems to mostly be about library news, but this is not clearly indicated. The “Seen on the Web” heading is rather random. The creators of the wiki have posted links to all kinds of websites, from medical resources to colour palette generators (what the heck?). The Bull Run Library really needs to specify what type of information they are posting.

Butler WikiRef – I think that using a wiki to make a collaborative review of reference resources is a good idea. Once people add more information Butler WikiRef will be a very valuable source of information. As of right now, it does not seem like many people have contributed. Each resource contains only a summary of about one or two sentences. I wonder how Butler Library could promote their wiki. One thing that I noticed was that the wiki does not have a link to the university or library websites. Therefore, I am unsure of the school with which the wiki is associated. I would hope that the main library page has a link to Butler WikiRef! If not, no one would be able to find it! One other problem that I noticed was that users are told to “click in the search box (top left) and enter a keyword” to locate a resource; however, the wiki does not seem to have a search box.

Ohio University Libraries Biz Wiki – I really appreciate the organization of the Biz Wiki. The goal and contents of the wiki are clearly stated just underneath the title. In this summary there is also a link to a more thorough explanation. I feel that this is a very important feature of a wiki because people need to understand the purpose in order to contribute. Many of the categories remain blank, but with all of the assistance that the creator, Chad Boeninger, provides potential contributors (ex. “Help Page”, “About Biz Wiki” page, his Facebook link and an instant messaging option) I have no doubt that it will quickly fill with useful business information.

Princeton Public Library - Book Lovers Wiki – The first thing that I noticed about this Wiki was the colour. The red background is very appropriate for a book "lovers” site and I found it very visually appealing. I like the idea of a book review wiki, but it bothers me that most of the books only have one review. It would make sense for the Princeton Public Library to pick a book a month for the Summer Reading Club and then have members post their reviews at the end of the month; however, I do not think that this is how the club works. It seems to me that members can read anything they fancy. This means that many of the books on the wiki only have one review because members are not reading the same books. One review is not very helpful, especially when you have no idea who reviewed the book.

SJCPL Subject Guides – I think that more public libraries should use subject guide wikis. The SJCPL Subject Guide Wiki is full of helpful information. I especially like the guide on Local & Family History. Many people who use public libraries are interested in genealogy and this guide is a great starting place. I noticed that the subject guide links change colour when they are first clicked, but then turn back to their original colour. When searching the wiki I found this frustrating. There are quite a few subject guides and I kept re-clicking on the guides I had already viewed.

USC Aiken Gregg-Graniteville Library – I was surprised to discover that this is a wiki. It looks just like a regular library website! I would have never known if it weren’t for the “Powered by PmWiki” and “Edit” links in small font in the bottom left-hand corner. I attempted to edit the wiki, only to find that it is password protected. Therefore, only those authorized can edit the contents. I wonder if the library website really needs to take the form of a wiki. I would be interested to know how often this information gets updated. Much of it, such as information on interlibrary loans and finding articles and books, seems like it would be static information.

Wyoming Authors Wiki – Wow… Who knew that there were so many books written about Wyoming and authors from Wyoming! I myself am not all that interested in Wyoming (shh—don’t tell the Wyoming Authors Wiki community!), but the wiki does seem to be chalk full of information. This is a neat project by the Wyoming Center for the Book and I would be interested in finding out how many people visit the site.