Wikis in Action Binghamton University Libraries Abigail Bordeaux

Wikis in Action @ Binghamton University Libraries Abigail Bordeaux Erin Rushton Marcy Strong

Binghamton in Brief • 13, 000+ students • 700+ faculty • 100+ library staff

Background • Staff intranet in place for several years • Remotely hosted wikis in use since early 2005 • Momentum post-CIL ’ 05 to organize and develop wiki locally

Implementation Process I • Formed task force in April ’ 05 • Researched and reviewed wiki options pretty quickly • Recommended implementation of Media. Wiki in May ‘ 05

Implementation Process II • Installed in July 2005 • Migrated content from other wikis • Populated with some intranet content • Added help files in August/September • Took break in early fall • Conducted training in November

Now • Adding to help files • Writing style guidelines • Developing templates • Considering role of the intranet • Conducting further training

Committee Page • Agendas and meeting minutes • Collaborative editing • Repository for documents • Committee descriptions • Committee members

Current Events Home

Home

Future Plans • More content – From intranet – Ideas from staff – Ideas from CIL 2006 • Public wiki – Waiting to see what computing centre does

Creating Help Files • Based on Wiki. Media Foundation files (http: //meta. wikimedia. org/wiki/Help: Con tents) • Modified for BU staff needs

Creating Help Files • Based on Wiki. Media Foundation files (http: //meta. wikimedia. org/wiki/Help: Cont ents) • Modified for BU staff needs • Included a glossary of softwarespecific terms

Benefits of Creating Help Files • Files reside on local server • Local decision on what to include • Great way to learn the software

Training Sessions • Designed as an hour-long, interactive session in the computer lab • Asked participants to bring a file to add as practice

Training Outline • What is a wiki?

Training Outline • What is a wiki? • Used help files as training structure

Training Outline • What is a wiki? • Used help files as training structure • How does the software work and what can it do for the user? • Lots and lots of practice!

Staff Concerns about the Wiki • Idea of collaborative editing • Making mistakes • Security • Appropriate content

So, What Did We Learn? • Information overload: basic is better • Need more time for hands-on learning • Need additional training • Start with content already on wiki and seek further suggestions