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Title Current use of Wikis at UCD Library

Author(s) Gallagher, David; Pan, Rosalind; Vernet, Anne

PublicationDate 2009-03-05

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http://hdl.handle.net/10197/2821

Current use of WIKIS at UCD Library David Gallagher, Rosalind Pan and Anne Vernet

WIKIS are increasingly being incorporated into institutional business processes including libraries. WIKIS have both advantages and disadvantages, However usage of WIKIS in UCD Library since mid-2007 suggests that suitable WIKIS appropriately designed, implemented and managed offer a dynamic alternative to traditional methods of document storage and facilitate increased collaboration. In the future the Library hopes to embed WIKI utilization within its structures while widening and deepening usage across all departments, working groups and branches.

“People have not embraced all of our project WIKIS – getting people to actively participate is often a challenge with only 1 or 2 in the team doing so. It was important to have a WIKI gardener to remove obsolete items and tidy up the structure with the larger project WIKIS”

Online Environment Consultancy Group Coordinator

•Shared drives, Intranet and UCD Connect Portal used to store manuals and project documentation•First WIKIS created on an experimental basis by Reader Services and Information Resource Management teams in 2007•Electronic Services team created several project WIKIS starting in Spring 2008•Roll out of WIKIS to branch libraries in Summer 2008•Library staff WIKI Workshop in November 2008 •First update and exchange meeting of WIKI users held in February 2009

“A WIKI is simply a website in which users can create and collaboratively edit pages, and easily link them together. You can utilize WIKIS for nearly any purpose, ranging from writing a collective online encyclopedia to building personal Web pages.” Stewart Mader, WIKIpatterns (http://WIKIpatterns.com)

•Identify specific goals for the WIKI•Consider if a WIKI is the most suitable option•Choose a product with WYSIWYG editor •Have a WIKI gardener to tidy things up, remove old content, add new sections, restructure etc•Ensure that the WIKI is the sole storage place for relevant documentation•Provide training to existing and new staff•Make clear to the team an expectation of participation and collaboration on the WIKI

•Up and running in minutes•No hardware and software set-up•No managerial processes to slow down progress•Easy to edit with built-in WYSIWYG•Easy to combine a mix of files, images, to-do lists, web links •Democratic nature of WIKIS•Knowledge is not restricted to one location and is accessible 24/7

•Exchange of experience meeting each semester for WIKI users•Ongoing library staff awareness and training•Possibly a locally hosted WIKI platform•Consider relationship of WIKI usage to emerging document management systems in the University•Implement a managerial policy to monitor and control usage•User-focused WIKIS

•Remotely hosted WIKIS may not be a long term option•No policy on usage or managerial control of this bottom-up development•Lack of data structuring not suitable for some forms of data•Free versions lack some facilities and an ongoing subscription can be costly•Not everyone in a group participates in the concept or makes contributions - in itself it does not build a team

“If we deliver this course again we will re-think it so that participation and joint working are much more central to the students, that did not happen this time round. How to assess and mark joint work will be an issue”

SILS e-Toys WIKI User

"Encourages collaboration from staff in similar work areas in university libraries throughout the country. Fills a gap in the communication environment and allows a focus on shared topics of concern."

Talis Catalogue Ireland WIKI User

“The WIKI is more egalitarian and anyone with the permitted permission levels can edit and alter it and it is secure in that the administrator/s are notified whenever any changes are made. As you have to apply to join the WIKI the administrator/s have control over access."

Richview Library WIKI User