I can see the appeals of wikis. Really. In theory, they offer an easy way to communicate with other people, whether they're organizing an event or simply discussing a common interest.
Instead of clogging up one's e-mail inbox with constantly changing plans, a wiki allows a group of people to change plans easily by having a common area where they can edit details about what needs to be done, where they will meet, or a plethora of other things.
The largest collection of wikis on the Internet to date is Wikipedia, a site that most- if not all- Internet users have heard of. Like all wikis, it allows the general public to edit information on subjects with a simple click. However, this often leads to inaccurate information, so it's not usually considered a reliable source for reference by most schools.
As you can no doubt tell, I'm not the biggest fan of wikis (outside of Wikipedia, of course). I think their concept is all right, but when combined with practicality, most people- myself included- would rather use email, phone, or a more common and accessible channel.
To be honest, I'm not really sure how libraries can use wikis outside of staff organization. However, I may be a little biased, considering my contempt toward them.
This is not to sasy that libraries shouldn't use wikis. On the contrary, I think they should use any and every opportunity they have to improve communication on a staff/staff basis or staff/patron basis.
To learn more about wikis, or if my explanation was unclear, this short video should help you understand a little bit more:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dnL00TdmLY
(It's not Rick Astley, I swear)
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