Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Wikipedia as the "Rest of the Library"

I don't promote the use of open encyclopedias like Wikipedia for information that can be obtained through sources that use a traditional editorial process. However, I do promote the use of such sources when they cover what Jimmy Wales terms "the rest of the library."

Wikipedia is particularly useful for pop culture subjects. As Wales indicates in a recent article in New Media Age, "there are few highly reliable sources" in this arena.

Additionally, institutional wikis and blogs that are selectively open have great potential for the documentation of what would otherwise be tacit knowledge.

Nutely,M. (2008). Open to Ideas. New Media Age.

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