Wikis as "handouts"

As I noted a few days ago, I'm doing a presentation for a virtual reference special interest group that will be on how my library uses a wiki and blog to keep reference staff informed of policies and procedures for library services (this is the core of what's in the wiki) and changes to those policies (the blog). The blog is also a way to keep our staff notified of any assignments that are bringing students to the desk and any technical problems we may be having in the library (printers down, databases down, etc.). It is also a way to share tips about new or underused resources (online or print).

As part of my presentation tomorrow about the blog and wiki at my library, I'll be showing them the wiki I started on behalf of our virtual reference special interest group. By demonstrating to them how easy it is to add or revise pages in a wiki, I hope to bolster my case for the value of wikis as a tool for collaboration. To further that end, I put together a page in the wiki that details the many ways that libraries are using wikis. I've also added a page about blogs in libraries. Before the days of wikis, I would have likely had a paper handout for such a presentation. But now, I can use the wiki itself as a handout. As a bonus, the wiki itself can then become the seed for a shared resource that my colleagues and I can use for our quarterly meetings. I can think of a lot of content that our group would like to have up on the web in a shared space.

Although rights to edit or add pages to the wiki are password protected, anyone may view them at this URL: http://vrsig.pbwiki.com/. At present, there really are only two pages of note in this wiki: the one on "wikis" and the one on "blogs."