Hoffman

From Sociallibraries

name: Starr Hoffman

website: http://snazzydecor.com/starr/

blog: http://geekyartistlibrarian.blogspot.com

IM screenname(s): AIM: artgeeklibrarian ; Yahoo!IM / Gtalk / Trillian / Skype: geekyartistlibrarian

Institutional affiliation: University of North Texas Libraries

Brief biographical information:

I am the Librarian for Digital Collections in the Government Documents Department at the University of North Texas Libraries. I manage two digital archives of government information; the CyberCemetery (websites of defunct government agencies), and an archive of Congressional Research Service Reports. In addition to my Master's in Library Science, I have a Master's in Art History and a Bachelor's in English Literature and Fine Art. I am passionate about the role of emerging technologies in library settings, particularly academic libraries.

Presentation title:

The “How” of Wikis

Presentation Abstract:

This presentation is designed as a follow-up to sessions that address the definition and uses of wikis. It builds on that introduction by taking a hands-on approach to the topic. Instead of displaying already-implemented wikis or static images and text, I will demonstrate how to start a simple remotely-hosted wiki, how to create and format a page, and how to edit. The presentation will concretely demonstrate how user-friendly and simple this technology can be by showing concepts instead of only describing them.

First, I will briefly review what wikis can be used for, and why they can be more suitable for specific applications than a traditional website. I will display various implementations, including subject guides, helpdesk information, community guides, a personal information manager, a department hub for projects and meeting notes, and a peer-review process for documentation.

Then I will demonstrate the basics of starting and using a wiki. I will show how to easily and quickly start a wiki, using the concept, “start your own wiki in five minutes!” I will briefly go over the pros and cons of remotely-hosted versus locally hosted wikis. I will explain the basics of formatting, composing, editing, navigation, and will demonstrate that various wikis have different formatting markup. I will also include a short glossary of potentially-confusing technical terms and acronyms, and will make this available as a printable document.