MLIS 7505 Wiki Assignment (Assignment 1)

The library I am considering creating a Wiki for is a public library that is part of a larger county system in the city of Atlanta.  This library is small in size but serves a fairly large indigent population close to downtown.  Budget cuts over the recent years have unfortunately left the library with only one full time librarian on staff and a handful of non-professional workers maintaining the collections and programs.  The hours of operation are fairly short:

Monday                   10-6

Tuesday                   12-8

Wednesday              Closed

Thursday                  10-6

Friday                      Closed

Saturday                   1-5

Sunday                      1-5

Though small in size and short on cash, this library happens to have the largest collection of LGBT materials in the state of Georgia, as well as, a vast amount floating African American collection.  This focus on LGBT materials lends itself to a variety of knowledge and resources for many people in the community, creating a good foundation for a Wiki.  Participation in the county's floating collection also allows for patrons to have access to books across the city.  Thinking about the Wiki, this access can also lead to experts on LGBT topics and even more resources.

Considering the size of the library and the small amount of resources, requirements for a Wiki would include the following:

No Necessary History

Real WYSIWYG Editor for Non-Tech Savvy Users

Professional Support (Avoiding the need to have on-site IT help.)

Online Hosting (Avoiding the need to maintain hardware on-site as frequently.)

Library's Own Domain

After comparing initial needs and wants for a Wiki using www.wikimatrix.org, 14 different Wikis met this libraries requirements or preferences.  Considering the low budget nature of the library, I removed the Wikis that cost over $5 a month to maintain with a preference for Wikis with free versions available.  Once I removed the options with financial obligations, I came upon eight Wikis to choose from: 

CentralDesktop

EditMe

Luminotes

MindTouch

Same Page

Wagn

Wikia

Wikispaces

After removing any Wikis with a storage quota and those without a focus on Windows as the downloadable operating system, taking into account the machines available at the library, the last three choices were Luminotes (which has shutdown upon further research), MindTouch, SamePage, and Wikia.  Upon a final browsing of each Wiki, based on the apparent ease of use and visual appeal, the Wiki I've chosen for this library's LGBT resources Wiki is Wikia.  

The Wiki has been created and I hope at some point to begin to add resources and spreading the word.  

Resources for those interested in the LGBT community; specifically for users in the south and patrons in a small public library:

Small Southern Public Library LGBT Resources