Blogging and Libraries

I have had very little experience with blogs prior to beginning this blog for this class, so I have been doing some reading and research into blogs and how they can be applied to and used in libraries.

One article that I read in addition to this week's readings was "What is all the Fuss about Library 2.0?" by Diane Murley, in which she discusses many emerging 2.0 technologies being used in libraries today, including blogs.

Murley defines blogs as webpages “with certain characteristics that make them ideal for posting content that will be updated frequently,” which certainly sounds like a necessity of a library to me. He continues to explain how a standard blog operates, noting that “new information appears at the top of the page, previous items are available via archives, and entries can be assigned to categories” (Murley 201).

However, the defining characteristic of a blog, according to Murley, is “the availability of a comments function, which you can use to allow readers to add comments to entries.” She points out that “discussions often develop in the comments area between the blog author and her readers, furthering the communication between librarian and patron,” but also cautions that any and all librarians who invite comments on their library blogs to “moderate or filter” the comments to keep spam from “rendering [them] useless” (Murley 202).

Despite this worry, Murley sees blogs as being a very useful addition to a library indeed, immediately noting that “blogs can supplement or replace print or e-mail newsletters, delivering information faster and avoiding e-mail filter problems.” She further suggests that libraries use a blog as “a way to let patrons know what is new at the library by posting information about new materials, library news, event announcements, policy changes, etc. Most libraries are already using flyers, newsletters, and table tents to publicize these things, but, with a blog, patrons can respond to posts and engage in a conversation with the library” (Murley 202).

I hope that my new experiences with blogging for this class will make me familiar and comfortable enough with blogging to one day be able to manage and contribute to a blog in whatever library I ultimately end up working at!