It's a wiki, wiki world

It's wiki week - week 4. I've always been a bit of a fan of Wikipedia. I know that's a controversial thing to say in Library Land, but I find it extremely useful as a starting point. It often has a really easy-to-grasp overview of a particular subject and (which I find the most useful) almost all of the entries have references and/or links. And since there are so many eyes on it all the time, mistakes or inconsistencies are regularly picked up and biased information is usually noted.
Interestingly, the article in Stern comparing the online encyclopedia Brockhaus with Wikipedia pointed out that Brockhaus came out on top in one category, which was readability/clarity. Apparently the reviewers found Wikipedia too complicated for lay readers.
I think there is great potential for wiki use in libraries. Their collaborative potential is enormous. NLA started one which has all of the policies, rosters, emergency contacts etc for AskNow operators around Australia, NZ and Singapore, which is fantastic. A good use for us might be help sheets and 'Getting Started' guides which we currently hand out in paper format. A wiki could be quickly updated and (with moderation - i.e. a moderator) enable clients to input their experience and expertise. The genealogists have harnessed the new technology (no surprises there!) The world's largest genealogy wiki, produced in association with Allen County Library, Fort Wayne, Indiana, is apparently WeRelate. Very impressive. And free!

Flickring

Up to week 3 in two days now - catching up fast! I've looked for images on Flickr of SLNSW and have come to the conclusion that tagging and other folksonomies are great, but in the absence of controlled vocabularies, you really have to think laterally, or you'll miss some great results. Searching for 'State Library of NSW' gives one set of results, but you'll also find relevant images using 'SLNSW', 'libraries, sydney', 'state library, sydney', 'mitchell library, sydney' etc. I think that there is great scope for user tagging on library catalogues but they work best in conjunction with 'traditional' methods! A great example is the Powerhouse Museum catalogue - anyone can tag collection records, but the curators and registrars still apply traditional subject headings and descriptions. Anyway, the image I've posted is called 'I got a library card' by Jessamyn. I found it on Flickr's advanced search using the keywords 'library' and 'Sydney' and only looked for Creative Commons licensed content.

A library card and a good coffee! What more could you want?

Jeanette Winterson at writers' fest

Am inspired by the opening address of the Sydney Writers' Festival. Jeanette Winterson (picture from SWF site) spoke at the Opera House tonight about the importance of creativity to all of our lives. Some points I remember (I wasn't quite anal enough to take notes):

• That record-keeping is really art which creates history - the first histories were songs, poems, paintings, passed from generation to generation;


• That there is more to life than going to work and shopping - we need to remember to seek enjoyment in the art of nature;


• And how her mother always said, 'the thing about a book is, you never know what you're going to get until it's too late.'

She also said many, many more deep and meaningful things and said them with such passion, that she made me feel like I should go out and try to do something beautiful, like learn to paint, or write poetry or at least try to take more time to stop and smell the roses.
Is blogging art?

Aaargh

Aaargh. Have just attempted to list the blogs I read semi-regularly to someone of import and realised that I mixed up the names of two websites. Very unfortunate. I meant to say that I read the blog The Shifted Librarian (which is a really good one, all about new technologies in libraries and the 'shifts' in librarianship) and actually said confidently that I read The Modified Librarian (which, although it also has its merits, is actually a website about librarians with body modifications such as tattoos, piercings etc.)
An easy mistake to make, right?

Beginnings...

As predicted, the time taken to decide on a scathingly brilliant name for my blog far exceeded the time allotted for this learning journey this week. Oh, well. And since it is so scathingly brilliant, I probably need to explain it.
The kraken is a Scandinavian sea monster - a bit like a giant squid - which lives at the bottom of the sea. (Image from wikipedia.) Apparently they are very risky - if disturbed, they can grab a warship in one mighty tentacle and drag it to the bottom of the ocean. Unfortunately (though not surprisingly, given that this is a legend...) vast numbers of fish are found in the vicinity of the kraken and Norwegian fishermen would sometimes risk fishing above it in order to bring home an immense haul. When they arrived safely back at the village with their monumental catch, others would say 'Oh, you must have fished on kraken'.
I thought this might be a good metaphor for Libraries 2.0. We have to take a risk in order to succeed. Libraries traditionally 'play it safe'. We don't like to commit to new technologies, new procedures, new policies until they are perfect. Web 2.0 is full of risk. It's experimental. We don't know exactly where it's going or what we might be able to do with it. We might have to relinquish some control over areas which we've usually hung on to - subject headings and theasauri might be combined with user-added tags, policies and procedures might be 'wiki-ed' as clients add suggestions and comments. And don't get me started on copyright!
We can continue plodding safely along, with our traditional client bases and our usual risk-averse methods and polices, or we can 'fish on kraken' - go to where the action is, risk making mistakes, and possibly lose a boat every now and then in order to maximise our client numbers, our relevance and secure our future. I know it's obscure and a bit clumsy, but hey, I bet nobody else has used this metaphor!
So, let's get fishing!