RSS

Here I have put in a photo of a galaxy because it is symbolic of the expanse of information available to librarians. Sound corny? I guess it does. I really just love this photo. I like RSS aggregators as they help you narrow down your search for information. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. They are also called feed readers. In simple terms it's a computer format that allows you to see a number of blogs, that you choose, on one site (an example is bloglines).

The amount of information that humans have produced is "galactic" Anything that allows you to focus in on information of interest or relevance is very useful. As librarians we are the lens of the telescope focusing on the stars in the galaxy of information that the borrower want to look at. No, wait! the internet is the telescope we point the telescope. No. The computer is the telescope the internet search engines are the lens....Oh God, This is getting very corny.



I have chosen blogs related to book reading (ie book reviews) as it relates to my job, and my interests. I also chose some blogs about libraries in general, about news and one about alternative energy.


The sites I chose on Bloglines are: About Contemporary Literature, Alternativeenergy blog. Bloglines News, Librarians' Internet Index, New York Times Book review, The Shifted Librarian, USATODAY.com Books, Washington Post Book reviews and Powerhouse Museum picture of the day.


I think RSS Aggregators would be helpful in my work in that I could increase my knowledge of what books are being written and I could recommend books that we could add to our collection. Also the up to date information about library issues and problems is also helpful.


Library's blogs are very useful to pass on information. If a blog serves the function of the 'old' bulletin board Then an RSS is a bulletin board of different bulletin boards. Or maybe a diary of diaries (I'm getting corny again) It's more up to date than a bulletin board and the information can be more global and cheaper to create and pass on. It's all about being able to find more information for our borrowers and find it quicker and easier.



I think some of the drawbacks should be mentioned as well. If you are not ofay with the internet as a lot of old people are, you are locked out of a lot of this. As a library worker I see a lot of old people who cannot use the internet let alone the library catalogue (let alone a mouse). I also see a some computer/internet jargon/abbrieviations used that I don't really know.



I have looked at the ACT libraries blog and found everything from opening hours to reading challenges to fun competitions to news about authors. I can see that this is a wonderful promotional device to facilitate more library participation. I hope my library will be getting one soon. The ACT library blog is well done. It has a pleasant look about it. The entries are brief and easy to read. There doesn't, though, seem to be any facility for the public to comment on the blog, unless I missed it, as you can with the blog I'm writing now.

That's all I have time for now.