I've used wikipedia, and I've used a wiki. The wiki I used was for this online game called Urban Dead which is about a zombie apocalypse. Yes.
I think wikis are reliable and valuable. It depends on the situation. For school, wikis wouldn't be the best choice for getting information - general information is okay, but I wouldn't use wikis or wikipedia to write a paper about heteronormativity in American culture. Or whatever.
But for games, wikis are great. The Urban Dead wiki I used was helpful for players because any player could update the status of a given suburb (this one's full of zombies and therefore dangerous for humans, etc.) People can also add where to get help, post where to find support and revive points if you get turned into a zombie, zombie meeting points, maps....you get the idea. I also noticed that wikis are good for keeping up with TV shows, books, bands, movies and other entertainment.
I added to the favorite foods (green tea and oreos), movies (Amelie, Royal Tenenbaums, the Harry Potter movies), music (Beatles, Radiohead, blues), restaurants (GIn Sushi, Hurry Curry, In-N-Out, Sam Woo, SOuplantation, Zankou Chicken), and TV shows (Project Runway, Arrested Development, Freaks and Geeks). It was pretty easy. Just click and type.
For the library, wikis could be useful for keeping employees updated on certain regulations maybe. Since we all don't work at the same time, a wiki would be a good place to "get things straight". For example, as a shelver, sometimes I see fiction titles that start with numbers shelved two different ways - a book called "23rd Precinct" could go before the A titles as a numeral or under the T for twenty-third. A wiki could be a place where everyone can check to see they're doing things the same way. It could also help supervisors to not have to reiterate changes in the library with part time staff as they come in every few hours.
For the public, library wikis can be set up for reading groups, especially during the summer for adults and kids.
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Congratulations, you've qualified for the 2nd biweekly drawing. We will announce the winner the week of 2/25.
Wikis can be a great source of information, although maybe not the best source of information for more serious research reports, as you pointed out. You also made some great recommendations regarding the use of wikis within the Arcadia Public Library, especially in regards to employee communication.
Remember, to be eligible for the 3rd biweekly drawing, be sure and finish weeks 6 and 7 before 3/10.
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