An Info Lit Wiki

Lately I've been struggling with how to display information online for students. Each time I teach library instruction sessions, I end up photocopying a number of (wasted) pages, which students will probably only look at once and then throw away. It seems only natural (as a Generation Y'er, although a borderline Millenial at heart) that I should be putting my teaching materials online and make the learning environment more interactive. At work I am not allocated any web space to display documents and important information that I present in my library sessions. After looking at various open source options similar to LibGuides, I decided that the most efficient and effective way to give myself some "web space" was to create a wiki using PBwiki.

A completely free PBwiki account provides me with enough space (only 10 MB, but enough to force me to keep content current) to successfully post the documents and files that I need, including research guides, subject guides, library information, and other important contact information. I've even included my own form of virtual reference by installing a Meebo chat widget.

PBwiki is not without its limitations. The navigation is a bit clunky and is not as customizable as I would prefer. It's also not always possible to include small programs, such as del.icio.us tag rolls because of PBwiki's distrust of < script > tags.

For now, though, PBwiki is suiting its purpose. It is an easy, affordable way for me to provide students with one more link to the library.