Putting Library2.0 into practice: setting up a wiki as a tool for

knowledge sharing in a public library

Online Information 2008 – 2 December 2008 – Karolien Selhorst – Public Library of Vlissingen

“When competing hoard your knowledge, but when collaborating

share it”(David Gurteen)

The Public Library of Vlissingen: mission (1)

The Library of Vlissingen:• Provides – apart from the main building - services for the

nearby situated village, the local hospital and several schools (in a web1.0 world)

• Wants to be where (potential) users are => the customer-oriented digital library (in a web2.0 world)

• Aims to provide tailor-made services to its customers

The Public Library of Vlissingen: mission (2)

The digital library of Vlissingen aims to:• Stimulate user participation• Be customer oriented• Foster knowledge-sharing• Make people information/media literate• Work with ‘rich media’

Making use of hidden staff talent

• In order to realise those ambitions the library wants to make more and better use of hidden staff talent and facilitate knowledge sharing

• A ‘knowledge scan’ was organised• One of the findings was that the intranet did not meet

the needs of library workers

A wiki as intranet ‘alternative’

• Despite the low popularity of the intranet, library workers indicated that they were eager to share knowledge through ‘a similar medium’

• The idea for a wiki, essentially a knowledge-sharing tool, arose

What is a wiki?

• “A wiki is a website that allows visitors to add, remove, edit and change content.” (Wikipedia)

• Wiki: ‘quick quick’ (in Hawaiian)• Open or closed

Why wiki?

• Easy and quick to edit and update• Anyone can make changes• Low barrier for sharing• Content is free-form• Flexible and thus supports incremental knowledge creation• …

Library wikis in practice

•Staff intranet: team collaboration and communication•Co-operative projects and collaborative authoring•Knowledge repository/KM tool•Subject guide•Planning space •…

Setting up a wiki in six steps

Step 1: Planning

• Evaluation of workplace culture and environment• Establishing the purpose and the scope of the wiki• Early involvement of future users• Identifying resources for creating and maintaining the wiki• Choice of wiki software and wiki host

Step 2: Wiki design

• Lay-out/visual design: ‘look & feel’ of organisation• Initial structure of the wiki • ‘Seeding’ initial content’ (no ‘empty box’)• Creating documentation and policy rules for the wiki, the so-

called ‘wikiquette’ , but do not focus on the ‘rules’! • Assigning user roles and setting access controls• Wiki sandbox

Step 3: Testing

• Careful selection of ‘test unit’ to run a pilot: early-adopters

advocate wiki use • Testing involved: testing basic functions, proofreading initial

content, testing links, wiki usability• Importance of involving future users: feedback

Step 4: Launching the wiki and training users

• Careful planning of training sessions: start with ‘early adopters’ and pay more attention to ‘slow adopters’

• Create a good handbook• Promotion: focus on advantages of wiki use (“What’s in it for

me?”) and integrate it in daily work practices

Step 5: Managing & maintaining the wiki

• Appoint a ‘Wiki gardener’ : one person responsible for moderating discussions, reviewing content, reviewing wiki structure to make content easy accessible by everyone

• Technical support by external hosting company

Step 6: Wiki evaluation

• The evaluation of the implementation process• The evaluation of the wiki: wiki statistics and user

surveys

This is it!

The future: Question Manager

• At this moment, we are developing a software that will complement the wiki and support the way library staff deals with customer enquiries.

• Library service is based on teams of knowledge experts• A revolutionary new way of working in a Dutch public library

Wiki lessons learned

• The success of a wiki depends on user contribution and enthousiasm

• Involve your end-users from the beginning• ‘Reward people’ for contributing to the wiki• A wiki complements, but does not replace face-to-face sharing• ‘Seed’ the wiki• Integrate the wiki in daily working practices

Thank you for your attention!

Questions?

Selhorst.karolien@telenet.be