Wikis: tools for information work and collaboration
Book Review
Title of Book: Wikis: tools for information work and collaboration
Author: Jane Klobas
ISBN:1843341786
Publisher:Chandos Publishing
Publisher website: http://www.chandospublishing.com
Reviewer name:Chloe Stewart
Title: Librarian
Contact details: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Stobhill Library, Stobhill Hospital, Balornock Road, Glasgow
Email: Chloe.stewart@northglasgow.scot.nhs.uk
Review
Wikis are a relatively new addition to the Internet and as yet have not become embedded in daily librarian practice, whereas the related concept of the blog (weblog) has become relatively familiar.
As a Wikipedia addict, using this source to feed my addictions to cult British television sci-fi, obscure Victorian pulp novels and minor Scottish political parties, I was interested to see whether this volume did indeed provide its promised ‘easy-to-read’ and ‘practical’ coverage of this topic for the busy informational professional.
So what is a wiki (the term itself comes from the Hawaiian for ‘quick’, incidentally)? For most users it is a collaboratively authored and editable website – more accurately, as it need not be accessed solely via the Web, it is, as defined by this volume, ‘a collaboratively authored knowledge resource that is accessed and edited from a web browser using wiki software’. Wikipedia, the publicly-editable encyclopaedia, is probably the best known example, with its entries being given as references by websites from undergraduate reading lists to Viagra sales sites. But wikis can range from such vast international resources to private collaborations between a few individuals.
The book itself consists of 8 chapters plus reading lists and appendices, and includes contributions by six authors in total, who range from a Wikimedia Trustee (overseeing Wikipedia and subsequent spin-offs) to a librarian from the University of Adelaide. Half the authors have library backgrounds and qualifications, and the chief author is a LIS academic.
The book is clearly laid out and easy to use, with chapters on locating, using and creating wikis, and more focused chapters on their applications in library and information science, education and business. It achieves its stated aims of being accessible to novices and non-technical readers while providing material (for example in the technical sections) of interest to those already using or managing these resources. The style is very clear and necessary jargon is explained. There is perhaps an over-emphasis on Wikipedia as a source of examples and many of the references and further sources given are primarily news pieces or from a limited range of online publications; however, as it does not set out to be an authoritative academic volume, this is a minor criticism.
The second chapter nonetheless does not shrink from detailing the problems with the concept (including the difficulty of indexing ‘live’ resources, vandalism and controversial opinions being presented as fact). Here and in appendices helpful evaluation criteria are given which could usefully serve when advising on assessing other information sources. The ‘librarian’ focus of the book is apparent here and in the thorough discussion of referencing, metadata and searching issues. It is, therefore, ironic that the chapter on library and information applications is the poorest in the book, heavy on listing library-related wikis but with little discussion of issues or practicalities. In contrast, the chapters on education and business applications include case studies and examine ethics, wiki etiquette and other issues. A chapter on health would have been interesting, as the implications of freely editable health resources being added to the already high number of ‘non-expert’, patient-authored, controversial and otherwise non-standard health websites used by both patients and professionals are both exciting and troubling.
The technical chapters are an excellent example of writing for a non-technical audience, with clear pros and cons on the various options available and advice on where to go for more information. The wiki management chapter would be of interest to anyone managing a website, mailing list, forum or similar, with very practical advice on design, security, the need for documentation and the issue of problem users.
Overall I would recommend the book to anyone who has experimented with Wikipedia and likes the concept, or who has had wikis recommended to them as a tool for project work and collaboration but who wants to know what is involved. Those interested in the more controversial aspects of the wiki concept or in the political implications of this marriage of free software and free information will need to look elsewhere for in-depth analysis, but as an easy to use manual for the library professional the book fulfils the terms of this Chandos series.