TY - JOUR
T1 - Using Wikis in Academic Libraries
AU - Kai-Wah Chu, Samuel
N1 - Funding Information:
Since they possess such advantageous features, wikis are widely applied in different contexts, such as universities, law firms and the medical sector. They perform functions such as knowledge sharing, collaborative authoring and online discussion. Various studies show that wikis can be useful for knowledge sharing. 4,5,15,21 A study 5 conducted in 2005 focusing on the use of wiki in a knowledge management class at a graduate school of information systems and technology found that knowledge from diverse sources such as course textbooks, lectures and students’ experiences could be shared through the wiki. Wiki can also be an alternative to email, supporting collaborative authorship. 15,20 Klau, a lawyer in Naperville, Illinois, substituted wiki for email, allowing lawyers to review, edit and post comments on projects with changes being tracked with email alerts. 20 Wiki is also used as a tool for online discussion. 14 The wiki supported by the National Geographical Society Educational Foundation, aimed to promote collaborative problem solving among 11 geographically dispersed middle schools. Students from participating schools were invited to give comments on a river management policy statement drafted by a class of students through the online discussion board in wiki. 18
PY - 2009/3
Y1 - 2009/3
N2 - This is an exploratory study investigating the use of wikis in academic libraries. Reasons for using and not using wikis, level of control exerted on wikis users and perceived benefits and costs of using wikis are the major areas examined. Sixty universities were selected to complete either survey 1 or survey 2, depending on their usage of wikis at the time the study was conducted. Telephone interviews were conducted for those libraries from whom there were no email replies. The response rate reached 80%. Sixteen (33.3%) used wikis for work, four (8.3%) used wikis in experimental stages, 13 (27.1%) were potential users who planned to use wikis and 15 (31.3%) did not plan to use wikis at all. The advantageous features of wikis were found to be the main reasons for their use. MediaWiki is the most commonly adopted wiki software in university libraries, and the level of control is closely related to the reasons for wiki use. Despite the fact that costs are incurred in creating wikis, current users found that the benefits outweigh the costs. It is hoped that this study can provide insights for making informed decisions in applying wikis in academic libraries.
AB - This is an exploratory study investigating the use of wikis in academic libraries. Reasons for using and not using wikis, level of control exerted on wikis users and perceived benefits and costs of using wikis are the major areas examined. Sixty universities were selected to complete either survey 1 or survey 2, depending on their usage of wikis at the time the study was conducted. Telephone interviews were conducted for those libraries from whom there were no email replies. The response rate reached 80%. Sixteen (33.3%) used wikis for work, four (8.3%) used wikis in experimental stages, 13 (27.1%) were potential users who planned to use wikis and 15 (31.3%) did not plan to use wikis at all. The advantageous features of wikis were found to be the main reasons for their use. MediaWiki is the most commonly adopted wiki software in university libraries, and the level of control is closely related to the reasons for wiki use. Despite the fact that costs are incurred in creating wikis, current users found that the benefits outweigh the costs. It is hoped that this study can provide insights for making informed decisions in applying wikis in academic libraries.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=62849106572&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.acalib.2009.01.004
DO - 10.1016/j.acalib.2009.01.004
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:62849106572
SN - 0099-1333
VL - 35
SP - 170
EP - 176
JO - Journal of Academic Librarianship
JF - Journal of Academic Librarianship
IS - 2
ER -