What’s all the fuss about … blogs?
Even though blogs have been around for over 20 years, many of us are still not fully familiar with the concept and its potential applications. Here we present an introductory glossary, some examples of how libraries are using blogs to add value to their services, and a list of key blogs to read in order to keep up with developments in libraries worldwide.Glossary
The following terms are commonly used in discussions about blogging:
Blog. Noun: a portmanteau of "web log". A website with chronologically posted entries on any subject; blogs may be anything from a personal diary to a political forum to a cheese-lover’s digest. Blogs that relate to specific subjects are sometimes subcategorised, e.g. Biblioblogs (relating to libraries); Edublogs (relating to education). Verb: to edit or add to one's web log.
Blog carnival. Like a special issue of a magazine, in which the blogger publishes an entry on a specific subject and includes links to (and analysis of) other bloggers' postings on the same subject. The weekly Carnival of the Infosciences is a good example; it aims to “showcase the best posts in the blogosphere about topics related to the wide world of Library and Information Science”.
Blogosphere. The community or network within which all blogs exist.
Blogroll. The list of blogs to which a user subscribes, often displayed in the margin of their own blog. See "Blogs we're reading", in the bottom right-hand margin of our own blog, All My Eye, for an example of a blogroll.
RSS. The means by which most blogs disseminate updates. Users subscribe to different RSS feeds (whether from blogs, or from other sources) through an aggregator (or feedreader), which checks subscribed sites for updated content, and displays the update to the user. Eye/to/eye 12 included an explanation of RSS, while a posting on All My Eye gave a basic introduction to setting up an aggregator.
Libraries using blogs
In these days of trying to “go where the user is”, many libraries are using blogs to complement their more traditional services in diverse ways; here are 10 examples which may inspire you to set up your own blog(s):
- Product-based: The University of Warwick’s Simon Speight runs RefWorks blog, which has been providing training materials and answers to questions about using the RefWorks citation manager since January 2006. Similar to this is Coventry University’s EndNote blog.
- Role-based: Coventry also runs “a blog to inform colleagues of enquiry desk matters” at http://lanlib.blogspot.com/. This includes news of changes to subscribed products, forthcoming downtime notifications, and discussion of problems within the Lanchester Library.
- Activity-based: Catalogablog, from David Bigwood at the Universities Space Research Association, covers cataloging, classification, metadata, subject access and related topics.
- Subject-based: The UK’s Open University runs subject-based blogs providing service updates and information about library resources for end users; examples include Maths and Computing and Arts.
- Format-based: The Handheld Librarian is a mine of information for librarians working with, or interested in, handheld technologies.
- CPD-based: Perth College Library provides a blog to support its staff’s continuing professional development.
- Tool-based: University College Dublin’s Library 2 go blog contains information on Web 2.0 tools (“virtual study aids”) to help make users’ study more productive.
- Current awareness-based: the Inner Temple Library’s blog provides realtime information to its barrister members, regarding new case law, changes in legislation and other legal news.
- Observation-based: many, many librarians keep blogs which are simply intended to pass comment on what is happening around them, and to communicate with their peers. A comprehensive list is given at http://librariansindex.blogspot.com
- Publicity-based: NJ State Library’s Nancy Dowd gives advice on how better to market your library’s services in her popular blog, The “M” Word.
Some well-regarded blogs from librarians and vendors
Blogs are a great way to keep in touch with developments that affect the information community. Here is a selection of blogs which will guarantee to deliver regular, relevant updates:
- Peter Scott’s library blog is regularly updated with concise, easy-to-scan snippets of information about events, products, services and technologies relevant to librarianship. Light on analysis, this blog is nonetheless crucial reading as it is the most comprehensive source of potentially useful information.
- Stephen’s Lighthouse , from SirsiDynix’s Stephen Abram, aims to help “the good ship Library World navigate to their vision of the future”; if you want expert evaluation of the key issues, with an enjoyably personal tone, then this is one to add to your blog roll.
- Laura Cohen’s Library 2.0 investigates the application of Web 2.0 technologies to library functions, and shares the “ruminations, speculations, news [and] proposals” that abound – well-written, and a great way of learning about developments at the cutting edge.
- Jenny Levine, The Shifted Librarian, focusses on changes to the role libraries play as information becomes more portable and technology becomes more prevalent. Jenny is always on top of new developments, and travels widely so also provides great on-the-spot conference reports.
- The Corporate Librarian, Steven Kaye, brings a different perspective to the best practices, industry concerns and trends.
Where can I find out more?
- Wikipedia’s List of Blogging Terms provides a useful expansion on our glossary
- The Blogging Libraries Wiki provides links to library blogs of all kinds, as does the Librarian Blogs and Sites index
- LISNews has a weekly round-up of discussions from the Blogosphere, “This week in LibraryBlogLand”
- The lis-bloggers mailing list provides a discussion forum for blogging librarians
- Matt Huggins' 55 Essential Articles Every Serious Blogger Should Read is a useful guide if you do decide to set up your own blog.