Why should libraries use blogs?

For your comp task you need to include a post on your blog discussing what libraries should use blogs and what are good uses of blogging in a library environment. To get some inspiration you might like to read this article on library blogging.

I think blogs are a great tool for libraries to use to create:

• News bulletins - like the ACU blog
• Build specialised collection dedicated to a particularly topic - like the Yarra Plenty Library local history blog
• An online space for book reviews and discussions on literature - like the Scotch Collage library blog
• An area to share professional development with library staff - like the Bundoora Library staff blog
• A way to update people on the progress of special projects or services the library might have as ongoing activities - like the National Library of Australia blogs
• A way to get people who don't usually come to the library participate and share via a library hosted blog - like the State Library of Victoria blog

Blogs are an ideal tool for these purposes because the are easy to complied and navigate, allow for long posts where necessary, allow for the inclusion of video or images, can be authored by multiple people, use tags or labels and archive facilities to enable searching via subject and can be followed by readers using RSS feeds or email.

More about blogging today

Hi everyone.

Today we are going to do some more work on our blogs. I'd really like everyone to be able to find some library related blogs they like and post a link to them. Looks for some blogs created by library people and some blogs created by libraries themselves.

I'd also like us to explore the use of labels or tags in our blog posts and apply these to blog entries. Can you include a list of labels on the sidebar of your blog?

Lots to do.

I'll start off with a good blog to follow.

ALIA Students and New Graduates which is built using the Wordpress platform.

Libraries Interact - a blog about Australian library blogs. Interesting but not always up to date.

23 Mobile Things - an online course created by library people to learn about mobile technologies.