Class Assignments

Discovery exercise:

Step 1: Wikis can be used for many different reasons; document managent, group collaboration projects, knowledge base, and internal communication. Check out the various wikis created by librarians to discover how you might use one at your workplace.
University of Minnesota Libraries Staff Wiki - Internal communication among library staff as well as a document respository.
UBC HealthLib Wiki - Knowledge base collection for health librarians.
Ohio University Libraries Biz Wiki - Collection of business information resources available through Ohio University Libraries.

Step 2: Join the class wiki at http://mlawikiclass.wetpaint.com
Step 3: Create and design a basic wiki based on a potential use. For the purposes of this class we will be using WetPaint http://www.wetpaint.com/. Go to WetPaint and create a wiki by clicking on start your own wiki.

Tip: Your wiki can be on anything you like. However if you would like to create a wiki for library use, check out some of the wiki examples listed on Step 1 for inspiration.

Step 4: One of the great things about wiki is the easy way it fosters group collaboration. Go to the class wiki, http://mlawikiclass.wetpaint.com and contribute. Post a link to the wiki you've started. Post a link to the blog you created in Week 1.

Step 5: Go to the class wiki or mla-hls wiki and find a page which you could contribute information towards and add to it.

Optional Step 6: Go to the blog you created in week 1 and add the MLA Web 2.0 101 Blogs page and the MLA Web 2.0 101 Wiki page to your blog's Blog Roll.

Step 7: What is the difference between a blog and a wiki? What sort of things might be better suited for a blog and better suited for a wiki? Write a brief response on your blog. Submit the link to your blog post to the instructors using the form (see instructions).

Discovery Exercise Resources:

Step 1
Your guiding question for Step 1: How do you think you could use a wiki at your library? How do you think patrons could use wikis at your library?

What Is a Wiki (and How to Use One for Your Projects)
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/network/2006/07/07/what-is-a-wiki.html?

Understanding a wiki community http://computer.howstuffworks.com/wiki1.htm

There are many types of wikis for different needs. To find out which best suits your specific needs check out the WikiMatrix to compare and contrast different wiki applications: http://www.wikimatrix.org/.

Step 3
Your guiding thought for Step 3: "The only reason that a wiki works is because the community of people who work on it make it work." (from http://computer.howstuffworks.com/wiki1.htm)

Wide Open Spaces: Wikis, Ready or Not
http://connect.educause.edu/Library/EDUCAUSE+Review/WideOpenSpacesWikisReadyo/40498

Step 4
Using a wiki to manage a library instruction program: Sharing knowledge to better serve patrons
http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlpubs/crlnews/backissues2007/april07/usingawiki.cfm

Using Wikis to Support Online Collaboration in Libraries
http://library2.usask.ca/~fichter/articles/2006.01.Using_Wikis_to_Support_Online_Collaboration_in_Libraries.pdf

Individual Student Assignments

Have a question about the assignments? Ask it on the blog.