Quick Start Guide to the PALS Reference Wiki (RefWiki)
The PALS Reference Wiki provides access to information and special resources and collections of the PALS membership. The information is freely available to anyone on the Internet and any PALS member can update information on the RefWiki, after they have successfully created an account. Becoming Familiar with the RefWiki Before you start entering your library specific information, visit the RefWiki as a visitor to get a sense for the type of information available and to determine what additional reference material and information would be useful in the RefWiki. While anyone can visit and use the information within the RefWiki, the responsibility of information maintenance and content development resides with PALS member libraries. The URL for the PALS RefWiki is: http://www.palsnet.info/RefWiki . When you visit the RefWiki home page, look through the tabs along the top of the Main Page. The article and history tabs can be accessed without logging into the Wiki. The discussion and edit tabs require authentication.
Some conventions are useful to understand when working within the PALS RefWiki. Any link to internal pages in the Wiki displays as a regular web link. Links to external resources display with a symbol at the end of the link which represents a webpage and an arrow outside of the current resource. The example below highlights the external link to the Media Wiki User’s Guide, an excellent resource for learning more about editing Wiki content.
RefWiki Account Procedure The first step in creating an account for purposes of updating content on the PALS RefWiki is to have a PALS CLeO account. If you have attended PALS continuing education events, then it is quite likely that you already have an account. Your CLeO account information will be used to authenticate your access to the PALS RefWiki, allowing a single login username and password to remember.
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The full page display of the home page illustrates where to log in, as well as where to go to register for a CLeO account.
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The steps to create a CLeO are quite easy. If you do not already have an account, follow the link on the Main Page of the RefWiki and complete the online registration form for creating a PALS CLeO account. It is very important to make sure that you associate your user account with your library. This association between you CLeO and your library provides the authentication information needed to contribute to the PALS RefWiki.
With your PALS CLeO account information available, you can now create an account on the PALS RefWiki. Click on the “log in/create account” link located in the top right hand corner of the RefWiki.
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The information from CLeO is used to generate your RefWiki account. The RefWiki account format follows the convention: First_Name Last_Name (Library_Name). This method of account naming allows easy tracking by individual and the library they represent in Wiki posts.
Once you are logged into the RefWiki, you can edit pages within the Wiki. In the true Wiki-way, this is a collaborative project with input and expertise welcome throughout the membership. Updating PALS Membership Data While you can immediately access and update Wiki pages as soon as your RefWiki account is created, another process occurs behind the scenes to enable the ability to update core membership data information for your library. When a new RefWiki account is created, an email is sent to project coordinators alerting them to the account request. The project coordinators review account requests and promote RefWiki accounts to a higher privilege which allows the account holder to update membership data. This membership data is pulled into the RefWiki pages through a dynamic call to the database which formats the data into the Wiki page. As soon as the RefWiki account is promoted to a privilege supporting membership data maintenance, a notification email message is sent to the account holder which includes instructions on how to login to maintain your library’s RefWiki membership data. Attached to the email is a Word document further explaining the procedure for editing the information.
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Follow the link embedded in the email message, http://www.palsnet.info/RefWiki-data/login.php to login using the same CLeO username (email address) and password.
Your library affiliation will be displayed at the top of the page, followed by tabs associated with web forms for data entry. Click on any tab link, complete the information and submit the form.
The active tab is shown with a yellow background. In the example below, the active tab is the Book Discussion Sets. If data has not been submitted for a content area, the tab has a red border along the top. This provides a quick visual indicator of what information needs to be submitted by your library to complete the membership data entry required for the automatic generation of PALS RefWiki content. This information should be updated as information changes and reviewed on a periodic basis for accuracy and completeness.
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Once the information is submitted, you edit the contents using the same procedure. Any pre-existing data will be populated into the web form prior to data editing.
Instructions for PALS Membership Data Entry (for RefWiki) (this section reproduced from the
email attachment sent with RefWiki account activation for membership update) General instructions:
You don’t need to complete the survey in one sitting. You don’t even need to complete an entire section in one sitting. To save your responses in a section, click that section’s Submit button. You can always return to that section to change, add, or delete information. The survey doesn’t need to be completed by one person. Any authorized employee of your library can contribute to your library’s survey. Please read the instructions at the top of each section. Most information about your library’s resources can be entered merely by marking checkboxes in each survey section. Typing comments or descriptive information about a resource is optional, except when you add an “Other” resource to a list. When you add an “Other”, you do need to check the box next to the space where you type in the title or name of the “Other” resource.
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If you need to add more “Other” responses than the survey form permits, use the available “Other” spaces, then click Submit for that section. When you return to that survey section, another blank “Other” will be available.
Book Discussion Sets section:
For each title you enter, you must check the box to the left of the title. Put leading articles (A, An, The) at the end of the title: Kite Runner, The Enter author names: Lastname, Firstname Databases section: Do not add any of the FirstSearch databases which are part of the Illinois State Library’s statewide subscription.
Individual database products from a vendor (or within an “umbrella” product) are listed under that vendor. When you select a product under the vendor, checking the box next to the vendor’s name is optional. If you add an “Other”, you must type something into the Comments box, too. Foreign Languages, Formats, and Newspapers sections: No special instructions. Software section: Enter only applications installed on library computers; do not enter CD-ROMs or other software in your library’s circulating collections. When you check component applications under a version of Microsoft Office, checking the box for “Microsoft Office [version] applications” is optional. If an application is installed on both staff computers and public computers, check both.
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Special Equipment section: Checking the boxes for major headings (“Computer Equipment”, “Audio Equipment”, etc.) is optional.
If a piece or type of equipment is for use only by library staff or for library programs, or if the library uses it to provide a service (e.g., wireless Internet access) mark it “In-library use only” and indicate in the comments that it’s for staff or program use only. Subjects section:
Some subjects have second-level subjects listed. If you check a second-level subject, please also check the main subject it’s listed under. However, you may select a main subject without checking any of its second-level subjects. Do not enter “Local History” as an “Other” in the Subjects section. Use the “Other Resources” section for local history collections. Other Resources section: If you enter anything in this section, you must check the box to the left of the name you give the resource.
To enter local history resources, use the name Local History, and type into the description information about the primary places and events covered.
Additional Help & Enhancing RefWiki Page Content
The core membership data is automatically formatted from the database populated via the RefWiki web forms described above. In addition to this information, the PALS RefWiki serves as a gathering spot for helpful reference information and additional commentary about your library. As a RefWiki account holder, you have the authority to contribute updates and create new pages within the RefWiki. There are several resources available for acquainting yourself with the process and technique of updating wiki content. Refer to the following useful articles and reference resources:
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Wikipedia:Introduction - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Introduction This introduction provides a tutorial on editing wiki pages. It is a helpful guide for understanding how the process works within Wikipedia which uses the same wiki platform as the PALS RefWiki. Therefore it is a good starting point for understanding the environment and suggested best practices for collaborative content development. PALS RefWiki Help - http://www.palsnet.info/refwiki/index.php?title=Help:Contents This help page provides an overview of the PALS RefWiki, contact information for additional help and general help information. The basic “Editing Wiki Pages” section provides almost all the information you will need to effectively add content to the wiki. MediaWiki’s User’s Guide - http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/MediaWiki_User's_Guide This Guide is a more complete manual for readers, editors and administrators of wikis. As a content contributor, you will want to refer to the “For editors” section which includes extensive how-to instructions for added and modifying wiki content. MediaWiki Reference Card - http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Wiki-refcard.pdf This wiki page provides access to a one-page Wiki Reference Card which is a helpful resource to keep handy when editing wiki pages. Firefox Extension (Plug-in) – Wikipedia Toolbar - http://wikipedia.mozdev.org/ This Wikipedia toolbar is new and not fully developed in terms of support or documentation. However, it does install as a toolbar within Firefox allowing toolbar access to common Wikipedia format commands. This can be a true time saver and convenience if Firefox is your browser of choice.
An Exercise in Editing a RefWiki Page
Find your library’s main agency page. In the example, we will work with Yorkville Public Library. Here’s the top portion of the current page. To edit a section, click on the edit link to the right of the section heading. To edit the full wiki page, click on the edit tab at the top of the page.
For our editing example, we will click on the General information section edit. That section of the wiki page is then displayed for editing purposes.
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The portion added is highlighted below for purposes of illustration.
After clicking the “Save page” button at the bottom, the newly edited page is shown. Notice the additional paragraph and the link to an external resource, the Calendar of Events.
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Remember that any information you submit to the RefWiki pages should be monitored and maintained as you would maintain any online information. Accuracy and currency is critical in making the RefWiki a valuable reference tool for the PALS membership. Any page edits can be tracked using the “history” tab at the top of a wiki page. The history reflects when and by whom the edit was made. Using the history utility, you can compare versions of the page to see what was modified at any point in time.
Comparing the original wiki page with the current wiki page, the differences are noted.
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Special tagsets for PALS Membership Data Looking at the Yorkville Public Library page further down, note the area where information is pulled from the PALS Membership Data. There are two ways to affect a change in this area of the wiki page. You can edit the section within the wiki to add commentary or explanation. To update the information reflected in each of the resource descriptions (database, newspapers, software, special equipment, subjects, etc.) you can login to the Refwiki survey form.
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The wiki page contains specially formed tags that have been created to call external routines which read information from the PALS Membership Data and format the information into the wiki page. In the screen display below, the tag
calls a routine that retrieves and formats all information for the library whose delivery code is YKBB (Yorkville Public Library).
Going back to Yorkville Public Library’s main agency page, note the resource links. Select a resource link to see what other libraries in the PALS membership have recorded holding this resource.
This perspective offers a cross-section view of the resources available throughout the PALS membership. A project goal is to provide additional information on resources including research tips and tricks to
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effectively using the resource. Members who are familiar with the resources are encouraged to add to the content on a specific resource. To edit these areas of the wiki page, click on the edit link and edit the page as discussed earlier. Note the PALS Libraries who hold this resource, the Aurora Beacon News. As more libraries complete their RefWiki Survey Form this information will automatically be reflected in the wiki pages.
Using Templates
If you would like to create a new wiki page on a topic useful to the membership, you can create the new page by typing in the URL, including the new page name (e.g. http://www.palsnet.info/refwiki/index.php?title=New_page_name_here ). If the title is not found within the existing wiki pages, a default page is displayed, providing several templates for creating the new page. Click on the base template you would like to use for the new page. The templates available include: Create using Subject Areas template Create using Foreign Language template Create using Newspapers template Create using Databases template Create using Special Format template Create using Software template Create my article without a template
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Let’s use the foreign language Dutch as an example. When looking for the page http://www.palsnet.info/refwiki/index.php?title=Dutch the following non-existent page is displayed, giving me an opportunity to create the new page. Since this is a foreign language, that is the logical template to choose.
The template is loaded into the editing window with the pre-formatted headings and database functions inserted. Read through the template to replace template code with actual data to populate the new page with meaningful content.
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Notice the highlighted section in the screen display below. This area represents one of the special tagsets created to support the PALS membership data. In the example for “Dutch”, the YYYYY reference would be replaced with Dutch.
Another way to generate a new page is to insert the wiki reference to a new page within an existing wiki page. The syntax for linking to another wiki page is simply [[page name]]. If the page referenced does not exist, following the link from the wiki page will again result in the nonexistent page being displayed, thus providing the opportunity to create the page.
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Notice the new link to a page that does not yet exist.
Click on the link which brings up the same non-existent page, providing the templates as starting points.
As this series of steps illustrate, the end result is the same. You can create a new page by typing in the URL of the desired page or insert the wiki code to reference the page. As soon as a link is followed to a non-existent page (whether via the web browser address line or an embedded internal link in a wiki page), the non-existent wiki page is displayed with the options for starting with a template provided. When you navigate throughout the wiki resource pages, you will observe another method for generating new pages using the templates. Under the main page, the area “Who has what?” displays the resource categories.
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Selecting “Subject Strengths” as an example, note all the existing subject wiki pages, as well as the option to enter a new title and create the page, again loading the base template for that resource.
As with any good tool, there is more than one way to accomplish your task. Choose the method that works best for your working style – the end results are the same.
Searching the RefWiki and PALS Member Libraries
Integrated into the RefWiki is a search facility that allows searching the RefWiki content only, or all of the PALS member library websites. The federated search tool indexes the RefWiki contents, as well as all member library websites tracked in the PALS Membership Database. 18
The search box is located on the left side of the wiki pages.
A search for “Yorkville” in the RefWiki content only results in the following:
Limiting the search to the RefWiki may be appropriate if you are trying to locate information specifically in the wiki. If you’d like expand the search to include all member library websites and the PALS website, then change the scope to “search all PALS sites.”
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The same search against all PALS sites, results in the following:
Join the PALS RefWiki – Enter your Library Membership Data Now!
The most important element in making this wiki a success is your involvement. Please update your library’s membership data and join your colleagues in authoring and editing a valuable reference resource we can share with each other and our patrons.
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