If I had more time I would have written a shorter post

Before I start on the subject, let me just say that a minute ago I did a Google search to find out who said that famous phrase. Just on the first page of results there were several different attributions, including, but not limited to Cicero, Mark Twain, Benjamin Franklin, and Woodrow Wilson. You choose. All I am saying is that I wrote too much, for which I apologize. 

Back to work. What, Why, and Wiki does my library need?

The library in question is the Northlake library in suburban Atlanta, one of 21 community branches of the DeKalb County Public Library. The population of the library’s service area is near 36,000, and is projected to exceed 44,000 by 2025. Due to the demographic trends in the surrounding area (prevalence of middle class, aging population, well-regarded public schools, etc.), the two major groups served by the Northlake Library are the elderly and families with young children. Library’s current collection consists of approximately 60,000 items, with a focus on popular fiction, materials for children and young adults, and audiovisual materials.

The library was recently renovated and is technologically up-to-date. However, the system is experiencing a major budget shortfall which leads to severe staff shortages and drastic reduction in operating hours. That, in turn, affects patron satisfaction.

As a community library located in a mostly residential area, Northlake library has many regular patrons. It is proposed that staff try to develop these relationships further using a social networking tool, such as a wiki. Northlake Library has no direct presence on the web. The website, Facebook page, Twitter, and the internal communication system are all centrally maintained from the administrative office. Its own wiki would allow the library to customize the way it presents itself and to communicate directly with their patrons. Closer relationship with the library and the ability to express their opinions and suggestions will improve patron satisfaction. In addition, the branch has an active Friends Group, but there is not enough cooperation on projects. By using wiki, communication will improve and the relationship itself will strengthen.

I suggest that wiki is presented as part of a larger public relation campaign with the goal of better connecting library to the community. Library staff will offer training sessions for patrons of all ages and interests, and generate several subject-specific groups within the wiki to appeal to a broader audience.

WikiMatrix helped me to determine the criteria for choosing a wiki for my library.

1.                  Page history is essential because with many users there is high risk of losing information.

2.                  WYSIWYG is required so people of all technical abilities could contribute.

3.                  Commercial support is probably not necessary. Library system has specialists available to help if needed.

4.                  Localization is not needed. Most users are English-speakers.

5.                  Hosting rather than purchasing software.

6.                  Own domain is not required. Wiki will be tied in to the library’s webpage.

7.                  Branding is important so that wiki is stylistically consistent with the rest of the library.

From 20 available options, I settled on Netcipia. Northlake library has no additional financial resources available. This project is an experiment and has to be implemented at no extra cost. Netcipia provides its services free of charge, offers unlimited storage capacity, and does not restrict the number of users, pages, or wikis. Consumers, non-profit organizations, and educational institutions are all listed among the intended users. This is the choice I made based on my admittedly limited knowledge and experience.