I though this activity was particularly useful, since I can see immediate and practical potential for wiki applications in libraries.
The Farkas article on creating online communites with wikis offered lots of food for thought. I would love to see wiki functionality added to the catalog--it would liven it up so much to have Amazon-style customer reviews of books, lists of favorites, etc. The MCPL webpage would become more of a browsing destination. I'm more dubious about wiki subject guides: offering nonauthoritative guides under library auspices could lessen the library's crediblity and undermine scrupulous collection management. But such guides might be beneficial if clear distinctions were made between professional and public submissions, and staff had the time to provide adequate oversight.
An online community hub wiki seems to fall more under the purview of the county, but the library could be an active participant. And within MCPL, the possibilities for wikis are boundless: in internal uses, including staff training, collaborative planning, and project management; and as virtual community outreach, such as online book groups or community discussions about library programs.
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