Share On and Write On, My Friend: Why Blogs and RSS Feeds Are Important To Libraries

In last week's blog post, I yammered on about how libraries should make use of Web 2.0 sites whenever possible. It just so happens that this wee little blog you're reading, along with the bazillions more out there, belong to the Web 2.0. club. 

As a quick reminder, blogs are similar to online journals, where all my attempts at sharing information (otherwise known as articles) float about in chronological order. I can already picture those familiar with blogging rolling their eyes and groaning. However, if you need more info on blogs, I highly recommend Ellyssa Kroski's Web 2.0. for Librarians and Information Professionals. She gives a great overview on them.

But today, the main focus is going to be on how RSS feeds and blogs shape the library world in a positive way.

You may be wondering what an RSS feed is. Is it an acronym for Rad Superb Stories? Or is it the short form of Really Simple, Stupid?

Well, not quite. But it's really simple to grasp.

RSS stands for Rich Site Summary, or better known as Really Simple Syndication. It can help users keep track of new info coming out without having to check on their website of choice day after day.

You're probably more familiar with RSS feeds than you might think. See this little symbol here? It indicates that a website uses RSS:

So how are libraries making use of this bad-spray-tan coloured icon and blog posts? In ways far beyond the realms of your imagination, dear reader.

All joking aside, RSS feeds and the blogosphere are now important to the modern-day library and its patrons. 

So all those really cool announcements about new titles? Libraries can now put that into an RSS feed, with the result being that followers are

notified without having to access the library's main website. Simply put, blogs and RSS feeds give information out more effectively and quickly than traditional means. 

Libraries don't have use RSS feeds and blogs in just this way of course. I also think that they're useful for announcements in library policy changes, new dates for story times, updates on meet-and-greets, you name it. There's a plethora of ways libraries can use RSS feeds and blogs to their advantage.

Of course, I wouldn't just leave you hanging without sharing a few of my favourite library blogs and their URLs. They're user-friendly, have plenty of eye-candy, and have quality information to boot:

1. 500 Hats: http://500hats.edublogs.org

2. AllStars Library: http://allstars.edublogs.org

3. Not So Distant Future: http://futura.edublogs.org

Well, I for one will now be taking a peek on my RSS feeds and blogs I follow. See you later! 

Free Our Info: Libraries And Web 2.0.

Today in this post, I'll be sharing something that's more vital to libraries then you might think: Web 2.0. When I first heard this term used in class, I wasn't sure what it meant. Was it a new technological breakthrough? Were we finally going to be able to have Smell-o-Vision installed in our computers? Did Web 2.0. mean we were heading towards a 1960's style of future, complete with holograms?

Unfortunately, Web 2.0. isn't any of those things. Simply put, it's various sites that are both participatory and collaborative. 

Web 2.0 sites allow the average Joe, Jane, and pet gerbil named Pumpkin to interact with dynamic Internet pages.  

All those funny cat videos you watch on Youtube? Your Facebook status detailing on how much your life sucks?

Congrats, you just used Web 2.0.

So, how does this all relate to libraries you may ask? Can't patrons just get off their behinds, enter a library, and talk to a staff member about upcoming events? 

Well, if we didn't have Web 2.0., libraries would have a much tougher time communicating to patrons and enticing others to use our resources. We need to become that scuzzy car-salesman and provide as much information about our services as best we can. 

And in order to do this, it's my belief that libraries should take advantage of the many forms of Web 2.0.

Today, libraries can use Web. 2.0 sites in a variety of ways. Many public libraries use Twitter to inform patrons on a lot of things, such as the date when Stephen King will arrive for a meet-and-greet. Youtube can work wonders for showing story times when parents can't make it the day of when it's happening. 

The possibilities to share information with patrons and staff using Web 2.0 sites are limitless.

Personally, I'm comfy using Facebook to look up status's published by my hometown public library so I stay updated on new items they've received. Blogs also work wonders for reading recommendations. The list of uses goes on into the wild, vast yonder.

However, since the Internet seems to be ever-changing at speeds of a rocket ship, I wonder how long it'll be before the sites libraries use will become outdated. What will happen when Web 3.0. comes in fruition?

For now, all I can say is that I'm happy that more and more libraries are using the Internet to their advantage. 

And I'll continue to look up library services from the comforts of my own home whenever I please.

I'm Not Boring, Really: Why I Chose To Become a Library Technician

Much like Alice and her Wonderland adventures, I seem to have fallen down into a complex world known as libraries and librarianship. Yes, I'm talking about that quiet place which sometimes smells like a combo of dusty furniture and over-perfumed ladies. And yes, right now I'm trying to acquire my library and information technology diploma. Someday, I want to be one of those leathery librarian techs, the ones that give you annoyed glances if you make noises louder than a silent but deadly fart.

But unlike Alice and her dream, I don't want to "wake up". I don't want to choose another profession. And I don't want to give up on libraries and the services their staff can provide. 

I had a talk with a friend of mine months before I began my program. It was your typical visit I guess, full of phrases like "I've missed you so much!" and "I'll literally die if we don't eat!". Soon came that classic college student topic: courses.

"So, how are you doing in your college courses?" I asked.

She gave me a look equivalent to a shrug. "Some of my classes are OK, others I'm having trouble with," she replied.

Her goal was to take over her mother's bridal store one day, so she took up business administration.

She asked, "Are you excited for your library program coming up?".

"Of course!" I said, "It feels like an eternity waiting for it to start. I better enjoy it.".

Suddenly, the ominous bells of concern rang from my friend:

"Are you sure you'll like it Erin? I can't imagine being in a library. It seems super boring to work at, and it stinks in there. Why take a job like that?".

I couldn't stop her questions planting inside my brain, they were toxic mushrooms threatening to overtake my emotional garden.

But then I remembered. 

Back in high school, I was a page at my local public library. A bunch of my shifts were in the children's section downstairs, but my work schedule called for a lot of upstairs shifts too. Sure, I had slower evenings just reading shelves and putting away material properly. I guess for some it could be as exciting as this:

But I also thought back to Saturday story times, with grinning children trying to guess what happened next. I remembered trying to help patrons learn how to use our brand-new Mac computer to send messages to their families. I recalled all the "thank you's" and nods of approval anytime I successfully found the right material for a patron.

I remembered doing more than putting away picture book copies.

I, along with others, acquire and provide information for all types of patrons. My chosen profession helps to foster positive change for my community.

And for me, that will always be as exciting as running a bridal store.