You want to put a Wiki...WHERE?

OK, I will admit that when I was first asked to write about the use of wikis in libraries and explain how I would go about choosing one, my reactions were twofold:

1.  Wait, libraries use wikis?

and...

2.  Wait, there are more types of wiki than Wikipedia?

Sigh.

I mean, how did this happen?  I work in a library.  I use the internet.  I have a Twitter for Pete's Sake.  But somehow the idea of using a wiki in a library context never really occurred to me.  So, as I mentioned in my last post, I did what I do in most situations that confound me.

Was definitely not kidding about that Googling thing.

I came across this crazy meta library wiki ABOUT library wikis that explained that libraries typically use wikis for four reasons:

1. Collaboration between libraries
2. Collaboration amongst library staff in a library
3. Collaboration between library staff and patrons
4. Collaboration between patrons

I wasn't so sure about using wikis to engage patrons or to allow patrons a platform to interact with each other, but the first two uses seemed like amazing ideas to me.  Having a collaborative workspace to share with colleagues at other libraries, or even at your own library, would be a great benefit to using a wiki.  I found a great example in a best library practices wiki designed for libraries to come together and share information and tips.  

We could definitely use a wiki for staff collaboration at the library where I currently work, for example.  It's an academic library at a university of around 33,000 students, two campuses, and four libraries.  It's difficult to get all of us together for a meeting, or even an entire department, even though much of our daily work affects each other greatly.  I work in the Interlibrary Loan Department, and I have to collaborate efforts with my ILL counterpart at the other campus, the library staff member who picks up books from our Repository library, and the weekend/evening staff person I don't always get to see in person but who helps out with Interlibrary Loan at times.  It would be wonderful if we could use a wiki to keep up with new policies or workflows we are trying and to have a venue where we could ask each other questions.  It would also be a great place to share copyright reports, borrowing statistics, or things like the courier's van schedule.  Because wikis have multiple pages, it might be possible for every department to operate part of the wiki for their own needs.

The intimidating thing for me about implementing a wiki is choosing which one to go with.  Like most libraries, our administration does not often stretch the budget for resources, so a lower cost was a priority.  Using wikimatrix, I input my library's requirements and was recommended to try Confluence.  An example of a Confluence wiki is this staff wiki for Oregon State University Libraries.  Check out this video of Confluence's features in action.

I decided to go with a wiki that offered technical support, was easily edited with familiar word processor features, and was hosted by someone else.  Basically, I wanted something that was easy to use and maintain.  Very few of us at the library have website, wiki, server, etc. experience, and the last thing I want to do is burden our stretched Virtual Services department with more software to keep up with.  I also wanted something that we could customize with our own university branding to match the rest of our official library publications.  Features like a calendar widget or built-in instant messaging were great add-ons.  In addition, I liked how Confluence was private and access was restricted to users with passwords, unlike many of the free wikis available elsewhere.  The downside to Confluence was the cost.  It's free for small teams of 5, which may work at the individual department level (particularly if each unit had one shared log-in), however our library has over 40 librarians and library staff, which can cost upwards of $200 a month.  Still, for the convenience of a product that works seamlessly for such a large number of staff and offers technical support, I believe a subscription could be justified.