Blog appeal -- LIBR246 Exercise 2

Of the five blogs we studied this week, three can be categorized as library tech blogs.  David Lee King offers brief advice on specific tech topics (e.g., preparing presentations, using Facebook or Twitter) on his blog.  Canadian librarian Paul Pival offers links, book reviews, and technical tips in ‘The Distant Librarian’.  In ‘Librarian by Day’, Bobbi Newman compiles interesting links, adding commentary and advocating for library involvement with web 2.0 projects.  She also sponsors and promotes the ‘Library day in the life’ project, building community among librarians.

The other two blogs have a broader focus.  In ‘The Librarian’s Commute’, Olivia Nellums writes personal reflections about her experiences working in an academic library.  ‘In the Library with the Lead Pipe’ is a team blog.  The posts are peer-reviewed articles on a variety of topics, and include citations of academic papers as well as photos and links. 

In all five blogs, the posts I found most interesting to read were those that included a personal element—why the writer was excited about the event, tool, experience, or research s/he was sharing.  I found it easier to interact with the informational or intellectual content of a blog post if it included an emotional connection as well.  On a list of 101 essential blogging skills, Skellie urges bloggers to ‘write dirty’, meaning to “write with humanity”.  As Skellie notes in the ‘write dirty’ post, “Your readers can’t build a relationship with information.  They can build a relationship with you.”

I selected blogs from three different types of libraries to consider.  Chad Boenninger’s business blog for the Ohio University libraries offers “tips, tricks, and tools for the business researcher”.  His video and text instructions are thorough and specific.  MADreads offers book news and reviews from the Madison Public Library.  This group blog lists 48 people who write book reviews.  A side-bar of ‘recent comments’ highlights patron discussion of the books.

Gargoyles loose in the library is written by Frances Jacobsen Harris of the University Laboratory High School in Urbana, IL.  Francey’s lively writing style is welcoming and friendly; her enthusiasm and sense of humor are evident in her posts.  She shares info on student events, research tips for students, and tidbits from ALA Library News Direct and Twitter for students’ entertainment and enlightenment.  Comments are not enabled for her blog, but she posts photos of students and their work, such as a student doodle from a class session on content farms.

  

I consider each of the three blogs to be a successful example of a library blog, though they are quite different.  The basic characteristics contributing to their success (in varying degrees) are that they are attractive and easy to read, with easy access to archived posts, and convenient search capabilities.  They are frequently updated, with posts appropriate for their clearly defined audiences.  They each also have a blog personality, allowing the reader to build a relationship with the blog writer.  The level of blog personality varies with the purpose of the blog and the type of library.  The business blog, as appropriate for an academic library and a business reference librarian, is the most formal of the three.  The Gargoyles blog is the most personal and idiosyncratic—although comments are not enabled for this blog, I bet the librarian gets plenty of responses from her high school students in person.