You are hereBlogs / chris's blog / Week 2 - Blogs and Libraries - what a team!
Week 2 - Blogs and Libraries - what a team!
Looking at the blogs for the case studies, it is apparent that blogs can be a very useful tool for libraries to incorporate into their daily functions. I really liked the Teen Blog on the Madison-Jefferson site, as using technology to reach teens really hits them where they live. Currently, I am working as a Children's & Youth Librarian at the Guelph Public Library, and I can see how having a YA blog would be a much more effective way of reaching our users than what we are currently doing, which is handing out a paper newsletter on a monthly basis - you can imagine where these ed up, at the ottom of everyone's knapsack until they next visit the library. Using a blog, and letting the Teen Advisory Group be involved with updating it, would be a great way to get information to our users (and it would save paper, too).
Here's another useful way to use a blog (for my library only) - post daily updates on a blog as to the gawd-awful temperatures in our main branch and allow patrons to subscribe to the blog with RSS; this way, they can decide what to wear on a visit to the library so they don't lose 20 pounds during their visit. A sample posting might be:
"Even though it is -15 outside, the temperature inside the library today is a balmy and dry 22, so leave your parka in the car and sprint for the front door when you get here." See how useful this technology can be! I
n all seriousness, a blog could be used for other information postings that could be useful to patrons, such as "we are holding a very popular program this afternoon and there is no parking available in our lot" or "our wireless internet service is currently unavailable and should be up again in a couple of hours" etc...
- chris's blog
- Login to post comments
hah I've always found it odd how libraries (and university campuses) seem to delight in turning the temperature to the opposite of what it is outside: it's freezing outside, let's turn up the temperature, because no one would possibly be coming in dressed for cold weather! Why would people wear shorts on a warm day, crank up the AC! lol
"Everything I say is a lie...
... in fact, I'm lying to you right now..."
Hi Chris,
I think using a blog to reach out to teenage users is a great idea. I know for me personally I would find that more effective and informative than a newsletter. I can't help wondering how many teens use RSS though? I actually don't know a lot of teens at the moment, so I'm not sure if blogs are popular in that age group, and if so what kinds of blogs teens are reading/interested in.
I liked your ideas about blogs and YA. Nice to hear from someone working in the area who knows teens and their preferences! Pauline
I have no professional experience, but my sister is 18, and though when I talk about some things (like facebook, myspace, and even some blogs), I mentioned RSS and she said she'd never heard of it. Though that's a limited pool of resource, I get the feeling that although she uses the internet frequently for research and leisure, the idea of RSS hasn't really hit her radar yet. Can't say if that's a blanket statement - almost every teen I know is more tech savvy than me.
Hello Chris,
I also wrote in my blog for week 2 that the Y&A blog is a great idea, and efficient way to reach out to young adults. It will also encourage them to participate in the library, which will hopefully be a trend they continue for life! Get them while they are young!