Last Tuesday's article

The article we discussed was:
Library 2.0 by Michael E Casey and Laura C Savastinuk
Service for the next generation library
Library Journal September 1, 2006
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6365200.html

One of the ideas we explored from the article was about 'customer as collaborator' and we discussed developing user forums, or 'communities of practice' (connecting users with users in particular areas of interest), involving our users in helping themselves to enhance our collections/catalogue (a point which also came up at yesterday's collection development meeting), and we suggested adapting the 'subject guides' so our users help keep them current, suggesting links, resources etc

Wikis and blogs may be tools we could use, and we thought we would start in the area of Family History, as this has a very strong following and access to resources could be improved. We also noted that Constance Wiebrands from Curtin Uni Library (Business School liaison librarian - see absracts below) gave papers on wikis and blogs at the September CLICK06 conference in Perth(http://conferences.alia.org.au/alia2006/programme_programme.html#Creating),

One of the important points about wikis was to get the structure organised.
Blogs are more of a diary form, and may be easier to manage from our website. The abstract: Creating community: the blog as a networking device states: "The blog, one of the new “conversational technologies” that has arisen in recent years, has a part to play in creating and supporting our professional communities."

The paper about wikis was titled:
Collaboration and communication via wiki: the experience of Curtin University Library and Information Service
and the abstract states:
"The idea behind the wiki, a website that can be created and edited by many different users, can sometimes be difficult to come to terms with. Unlike traditional content management and web authoring systems, the wiki is “egalitarian”, enabling all users to have access to its writing and publishing features. Within the organisational context, the wiki is emerging as one of the more flexible, dynamic and simple yet powerful online tools available for knowledge sharing and collaboration. Its version control and change tracking capabilities can also facilitate efficient record keeping and promote transparency." This could be a useful tool for collaboration among teams of reference librarians to communicate and improve access to resources in subject areas, as a complement to the public blog and website.
AR