Ohio University Libraries

The Ohio University Libraries Biz Wiki

The Ohio University Libraries BizWiki is easy to find, only two clicks from the Ohio University Libraries Homepage through the Research Guides & Finding Aids.

This wiki was created to solve a messy problem of multiple research guides with no search function besides Crtl-F:

“I decided that as I update my research guides this summer, I am not going to rehash the same tried-and-true format that I (and countless librarians before me) have been using. As I go through the list of links, databases, websites, and reference books, I am adding what is worth keeping to what I am currently calling The Biz Wiki. The Biz Wiki will contain the content of all three of my research guides and will be organized by category.” (from A Wiki as a Research Guide, by Chad)

Its stated purpose is to assist business researchers in finding the best resources for their topic. It is full of information: articles about business reference books, databases, websites, and other research guides (BizWiki). However, many of these resources are only available to members of the university community. While this is understandable from the point of view of the index and database companies (eg LexisNexis), it means that this wiki is significantly less useful to the general public.

They are using Mediawiki. Their wiki is easy to use, laid out similarly to wikipedia, which most of the library users would be familiar with, including the side bar and the ever-popular, featured article. I liked the random page feature (as I do in wikipedia), I pulled up Household Spending: Who Spends How Much on What, which I am informed is available both as a paper reference book and as an online book as well.

The Biz Wiki fits well with the Ohio University Libraries’ home page, which includes multiple ways for users to engage: IM (meebo), Skype A Librarian, Business Blog, and on-line video tutorials. The BizWiki librarian and staff have worked hard to make this wiki useful, accessible, attractive and relevant to younger students: Facebook, meebo, and excellent use of multimeda in the Business Database Screencasts, although some of the pages were no longer there.

However, the password lock is a real barrier to sharing this information with people outside the university. Here we see an example of how a library using Web 2.0 to share information runs into the obstacle presented by corporate interests. How can a university library wiki page share information when the database and index companies are holding it as proprietary?

I did notice there doesn’t seem to be anywhere for people to contribute. According to a comment posted on A Wiki as a Research Guide, the author was intending to open the page up to contribution but hasn’t yet done so. I would see that as an improvement and a move towards more open collaboration. One of the most vital aspects of any Web 2.0 application is that it enable collaborative and welcome input (Michael Stevens, from Library Technology Reports, July/August 2006, his blog).

If I were a business student at Ohio University I might well use this wiki because it is full of useful information for business students and is presented in a very accessible way. However, as a member of the public, I wouldn’t have access to many of its resources, and even as a member of the university, I would not be able to contribute to it, therefore my use of it would only be passive.

Antioch University New England

Antioch University New England

The Antioch University New England Library Staff Training and Support Wiki was clearly designed by a librarian or a library student (many librarians love wikis). It has a table of contents in alphabetical order and comprehensively covers the information that new library staff would need to know (including how to change the vacuum bags!). This is an excellent example of a wiki facilitating staff collaboration. Wikis are an excellent way of keeping many little details organized (O’Reilly), and this wiki does just that.

I did not find a direct link between the Antioch University New England Library homepage and the the Staff Training and Support wiki, but this is not a surprise as this wiki is intended for the use of library staff, not the general public.

It was made using seedwiki, and is reasonably up to date (last updated January 2008). While this wiki does not directly fit with the library home page, since it is not intended for the public that isn’t necessary. Although well designed, the library homepage does not particularly embrace Web 2.0.

This wiki is so great it could easily serve as the model for other staff training wikis. However, it lacks the elegant design found in others, for example, The University of Minnesota Library Staff Website. However, this is merely an aesthetic, not one of functionality.

I would absolutely use this tool if I were a newly hired library staff member and even if I were not newly hired as it contains valuable reference information. Library work is very complicated, detailed, and ever-changing, and therefore a wiki is an excellent tool for keeping track of dynamic tasks, which allows multiple staff members to contribute and collaborate.

Note about seedwiki: seedwiki uses an interesting application of a wiki cloud on their homepage. They have a cloud of the wikis made using seedwiki (presumably only those who agreed) and the larger the name, the more recently it was updated!

Boston – Pioneers in Librarianship

Boston

Boston was the first place in North America to have a public library (and they have a gorgeous building), so it follows that they might be leaders in the new frontiers of librarianship.

Boston Public Library (photo by p_a_h)

But we’re actually here to visit UMASS Boston Healey Library, not the Boston Public Library.

UMASS Boston Healey Library Homepage

The Healey Library Course Resource Hub

I’ve really got to hand it to the folks at the Healey Library (UMASS). Not only have they really embraced wikis as learning tools, they also do it with humour! Their wikispaces wiki is packed with useful information: course lists, subject guides, info about research help (under the apt heading of Research Survival Workshops and with a great cartoon of a stressed-out student!), resource lists, links to their virtual reference, news and updates.

Stressed-out student?

It’s clearly laid out and I found it very easy to use and navigate. I liked their clear invitation to participate in the wiki, as that is a “fundamental principle of true wikiness” (from Elements of Wiki Essence, but which I read in Wide Open Spaces: Wikis, Ready or Not, by Brian Lamb, his blog). I was particularly impressed that they have a discussion tab on their courses lists. People can post resources (I found useful information about databases), and opinions. I also liked their Library Services for Distance Learners Page.

Their wiki clearly fits into the rest of their webpage, which also has a nice, clean design. They also have a Bird Blog about the To Kill a Mockingbird Big Read (an attempt to get more Americans reading for pleasure, similar to our Canada Reads and One Book, One Vancouver). And they have virtual catalogs, which give access to shared resources, one for academic libraries throughout New England and one for academic and public libraries throughout Massachusetts. And I thought their FAQ was very relevant, aimed helping on-line users get up and running.

I didn’t find it easy to find their wiki from the library homepage (possibly due to pressure of graduate school), but I did eventually find it ( I knew it was there and I kept looking). I was looking for Healey Resource Hub wiki and it was called course wikis (which is probably how their users think of it).

A possible improvement would be to tighten up the layout of the Resource Hub Home page. There is a lot of space between course titles, and if students are in a hurry (when are they not?) they might never scroll down and find the rest of the content.

I would certainly use this wiki if I were a UMASS student/library patron. As a somewhat stressed-out grad student, I can say that stressed-out students would find it easy to use.

Calgary – First ventures

First stop on this whirlwind virtual library tour:
University of Calgary – Doucette Library of Teaching Resources This is one of the first university libraries in Canada to use a wiki. They apparently also have a Prairie Chicken sculpture!

Photo taken by D’Arcy Norman

It’s an easy path from the University of Calgary Library page to the Doucette Library to their wiki.
They cover several topics in their wiki:
Resources for Education
Children’s Literature (booklists, teaching guides and a webguide!)
Cool Teaching Links

Now I may be demonstrating some bias here, but this is a great wiki: nice layout, sleek design, booklists, (with pictures of book covers) and a webguide. Good usability. It was created using Mediawiki.

It seems to fit well with the rest of the Doucette Library Site. These folks are clearly up on their Web 2.0. They are using del.icio.us for their bookmarks. The Children’s Literature index provides useful teaching suggestions for specific books that you can search by title. The Doucette Library wiki is part of a larger University of Calgary Wiki.
As with many wikis, content depends on the number of contributors and their individual expertise. The booklists were quite short. In some places the quality varies a little. Some of the links do not lead anywhere, and others make you jump through several hoops (and take a survey!) to get to the article.
As with many on-line resources, this could benefit from having someone (or someones) go through the links and fix the rotten ones, and clean it up a little.

The Inquiry Page

If I were an Education Student or a teacher at large, I would use this site – it contains so much useful information. It would probably be especially useful for ESL teachers or home schoolers.