This paper is an introduction to wikis for health librarians. While using wikis in health is now well-established, their gradual rise is similar to other Web 2.0 tools like blogs and RSS feeds. The same principles of collaboration, knowledge-sharing and socialization apply to wikis. Easy-to-use, interactive and built on open platforms (though not all are free), wikis offer a number of marketing and teaching opportunities for health librarians. Ironically, due to the prominence of Wikipedia - which paved the way for the broader acceptance of Web 2.0 technologies - wikis are moving beyond the collaborative writing of encyclopedia entries. Wikis are now used for all kinds of projects, from managing internal library content to revising important reference sources, such as the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). That said, some physicians and librarians express grave concerns about using wikis to create reference works; particularly, how questionable authority and editorial controls may result in medical errors. We argue that wikis were not necessarily meant to replace trusted print and digital information. When used responsibly as part of an overall content management plan, wikis can enhance our traditional collections and services. The authors predict that wikis will continue their rise in medicine through 2008, which will lead to other creative uses and applications in health libraries.

Although social searching is not a new phenomenon, its features of collaboration, conversation, and interaction in a social space among users make it an imperative element of Web 2.0 technologies. The emerging popularity of folksonomies with users generating their own labeling system has allowed social searching to distinguish itself from traditional search engines such as Google and Yahoo. This paper discusses a number of social search tools, including Google Custom Search, Del.icio.us, Youtube, and Flickr, tools that the authors find useful for the practice of a health information professional.

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Yes / This paper suggests that health librarians who teach or support Higher Education (HE) students can and should gain accreditation and recognition for their teaching by the route of HEA Fellowship. We outline the process by which Fellowship could be attained by those working within HE and those in NHS libraries who work with HE students, suggesting which aspects of librarianship practice could provide the necessary evidence for Fellowship. The synergies between Fellowship and Chartership are examined and the criteria for HEA (UK Professional Standards Framework or UKPSF) are mapped against those for Chartership (Professional Knowledge and Skills Base or PKSB)