I’ll put it on Hobnob: Wikis as the solution for collaboration and documentation for common tasks at the Law Society of Saskatchewan The Law Society of Saskatchewan Libraries system consists of 2 large research libraries (Regina and Saskatoon) and 15 smaller collections located throughout the province. Fulltime staff are located in Regina and Saskatoon and share reference, collection development, and acquisitions duties. Staff collaboration used to consist of long conference calls and s with many attachments. In March 2009 we had the opportunity and strong incentive to “reboot” the approach to managing our workflow. So we entered the wiki world and created Hobnob.

Library staff collaborate in the following areas on Hobnob Cataloguing (using GoogleDocs) Collection development Resource development Branch visit planning Genie SILS implementation planningNew website design planning Report reference, book processing and management statisticsStaff calendar Professional development (sharing links to articles, reports about conference or training attendance) All procedure manuals are maintained here

Reference staff track each reference transaction on Hobnob, making it possible to understand more about what types of users we are serving, which resources we are consulting and how much time we are spending to answer questions. Is the system perfect? No, but it’s more descriptive than hash marks on a tally sheet.

We had all been exposed to the idea of wikis prior to 2009, and some of us had used them for other purposes. There was a a change in management at the library, so we were able to try something new. We tested two platforms: Google Sites and Zoho. Within two weeks we made our decision to use Google Sites, primarily because it “appeared” cleaner. Two library techs took on the role of wiki guru, and built the architecture for the rest of us to play in, then trained us in basic skills such as uploading files and editing pages. As we had no examples to follow, we each worked on building the tools we thought we needed to improve our workflow, and kept bashing around until it worked. There was lots of room for making mistakes. It took about 6 weeks to have most of the wiki set. Using Hobnob in our workplace has made it possible to really collaborate and work as a team even when we’re not in the same city. We can share ideas and work out problems all in one place. The search utility is a bit clunky, but helps with those “I know we discussed this but what did we decide?” moments. Since we first started Hobnob we have gone on to use Google Sites for an online practice manual and as the platform for Benchers Web, the collaborative wiki for the Society’s governance board. We found that Google Sites is good for collaborative work, but not so good for building online resources as the formatting functions are quite limited. So we have subscribed to PBWorks to use for all new online resources, such as practice checklists or bar admissions materials.