Week 7, Thing 16

Is every book written published--no. The answer is "no" because just because one can put pen to paper or, in this case, hands to keyboard, does not mean one can write.
By the same token, just because someone has an interest in something does not mean they are an expert. Does anyone recall the controversy over the Wikipedia administrator "Essjay" who faked his credentials?

Frankly, the suggestion that we encourage the public to add to something as important as a subject guides page is not only irresponsble, but inefficient. The administrator of the page would still need to check those sites for accuracy, authority, currency, objectivity and coverage--remember, that criteria which, as librarians, we are supposed to be using to evaluate web sites.

Wikis where people are asked to give their opinion on restaurants, books, movies, etc. are great. However, asking the general public to contribute to a web site where information is supposed to be reliable and correct, is to me, asking for trouble.