Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Wikis: Gov Docs on the Cutting Edge

I admit to a prejudice against wikis, but only because for years the only one I knew was Wikipedia, and I spent so much time gritting my teeth while watching my kids use it as the ultimate research authority for their projects (the shoemaker's children go barefoot. . . ) This course, however, is making me appreciate the potential of wikis. Library Success is one of the best library ones I've seen. And believe it or not, even the stodgy realm of Government Documents librarianship boasts some interesting Web 2.0 experiments. For Canadian information, have a look at CLA's Access to Government Information Interest Group Blog . A couple of interesting American ones are the GODORT wiki from ALA's Government Documents Roundtable, and the Free Government Information blog. There's lots of informative stuff on this blog, but my favourite part is their list of Best Titles Ever! Yes, a government agency actually published something called "LUSTline" (Leaky Underground Storage Tanks, of course). My personal favourite is the "Index of Blank Forms" - it doesn't get more civil service than that. And there's representation from Canada with (cringe) "Child Maltreatment: A "What-To-Do" Guide for Professionals" . Seriously, you couldn't make this stuff up. . .

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