Using a Wiki to Enhance Library Instruction

Brad Matthies, Butler University
Jonathan Helmke
Paul Slater

Abstract

A wiki is a type of social software that allows users to write, share, and edit content in real-time, with only rudimentary skills in Web page creation. Moreover it is safe to say that most of what is being written regarding wikis in librarianship tends to focus on wiki-based reference sources, their questionable credibility, and how this question of credibility may impact information literacy. Outside of this contentious topic are a wide range of multidisciplinary articles that focus on the collaborative uses of wikis. However, so far, the library literature appears to lack articles that discuss the application of wikis in library instruction. This article hopes to address this deficiency by chronicling Butler University Libraries' use of a wiki in librarian instruction.