#16 Wikis

I've loved wikis from the beginning, even when the library intelligentsia forbade them. Nowadays, I'm proud that I used the technology anyway. What is so interesting about wikis? Unlike a normal published source, wikis can be mostly opinion. They can be void of the politics that crate the words of so many excepted news sources. As a librarian/researcher, I'm personally more interested in peoples' opinions anyway. Traditional encyclopedias, newspapers, and magazines usually give watered-down information. If a crime happened, we may read the story in the newspaper. We learn of brave boys in uniform. We read of the 'helpless' white girl or black woman. A wiki can contain the originally printed news story as well an alternative review. A wiki can also take on a blog format. There is often a place where others can comment and links for additional information. A reader may learn that the police bungled the investigation, or learn of hidden truths covered up by the establishment.

So how can this technology be of use to libraries? It adds an element of honesty to otherwise dry book reviews and reader's guides. As I was looking through the Princeton Book Lover's Wiki, I noticed the open social-media format in which anyone can give their opinion of a book. Official library readers guides and reviews can be watered down and bureaucratic. I personally feel that a costumer who has paid good money for a horribly written book will write a better review, than an employed person with loyalty to their administration.