Library wikis

I enjoyed the variety of wikis that were provided as examples.  I had always lumped wikis into one catergory with the importance placed on anyone sharing information by editing the wiki.  As I explored the "Library Success:  A Best Practices Wiki" and the "Bull Run Library" wiki, I realized that these two wikis are very different both in purpose and in management.

The Library Success wiki is what I have always thought of as a traditional wiki.  It is a space where and and all users are encouraged to share their insights and knowledge by adding to the wiki.  The purpose is for everyone to learn from each other.  Although there were some great links under categories such as "services for teens", "grants for programming" has nothing.  Certainly there are people out there who have knowledge on grant for programming, so why is there no information on this wiki?  That is one of my problems.  This kind of wiki is only as good as the people who know about it and are willing to contribute.

The Bull Run Library wiki has the capability to allow any and all users to edit, but only certain users are granted access to edit.  In this case the wiki is a tool for library patrons to gather information about library.  Most likely only certain library staff can edit or add to the wiki.  Using a wiki in this way allows for more flexibility for staff to get information to their patrons.  When using a traditional website, staff would need to submit information and wait for the person who updates the website to enter it.  The wiki allows for instantaneous updates by any staff with permissions.  I could see a drawback in this situation if there are people who should be contributing to the wiki but don't because they don't know how or don't want to learn.