From the Director's Desk

November 21, 2008
Beverly J. Obert, Executive Director, Rolling Prairie Library System
Beverly J. Obert, Executive Director

Web 2.0 - The Wiki Part2

Why should I use a Wiki?

A wiki is a tool that allows for the following:

  • Collection of information or knowledge in a retrievable format

  • Multiple people can add content, edit content, to make the wiki a growing organism

  • Many people can access this knowledge

  • Collaboration between various groups of people.

A wiki is not for everyone or for every task, but it can be used successfully when there is an identifiable need and it is well structured. Two wikis that were going to be demoed at the cancelled “Why Wikis” workshop were Programapedia and the Illinois Authors Wiki. I would encourage you to click on these links and explore these pages. There is information about why the wikis were set up, who the sponsors are, and who can add information to the wikis. On the left hand side is a navigation panel that allows you to select the area of the wiki you want to view.

Why would I want to know about these wikis? The Illinois Authors Wiki, sponsored by Illinois Center for the Book, allows you to search for information about the names of the Illinois Authors chiseled on the fifth floor frieze of the State Library. There is also information about the many authors that have an Illinois connection. Each author entry has the following information fields

  • General Information

  • Illinois Connection

  • Biographical and Professional Information

  • Published Works

  • Titles for Purchase and at Your Library

  • Literary Awards

  • Speaking Engagements and Upcoming Appearances

  • External Links

This is a resource that students can use for reports or librarians can use to identify authors for possible visits to their library.

Programapedia  is a wiki developed with an LSTA Grant by the Prairie Area and Shawnee Library Systems. In this wiki you will find information about performers and speakers that have performed in Illinois libraries. You can navigate through this wiki to identify possible performers by these categories:

  • Companies

  • Libraries

  • Presenters

  • Programs

  • Topic

  • Age Level

  • Audience

  • Geography

  • Language

  • Fees

Do you wish you could learn more about these wikis or find out how you could be an author on the wiki? You have not missed your chance. There will be a wiki track at the RPLS Seminar March 26, 2009.

Rolling Prairie Library System
A Library for Librarians
Helping Libraries Serve Illinois Citizens