Blogs and Feeds
A blog is simply an easily updated web page where new content is added in a daily journal-like fashion (each new item on the blog indicates the date and time that it was added to the blog. Those who read blogs can subscribe to the blog to notified of any new postings on it; the software mechanism for that subscription is called RSS. What you are actually subscribing to is called a "feed," much as newspaper offices once subscribed to a feed from Associated Press of breaking news stories (those feeds were first delivered over telegraph lines, then later telephone lines).
There are some web-based services that can generate a RSS feed without there being an attendant blog. A library catalog, for example, can sometimes be configured to automatically generate a feed of new books added to it. Library patrons can then subscribe to the catalog feed to be notified of new books in a given subject area.
Feeds Aimed at Library Users
Library Home Pages as Blogs
Blogs for Alternative OPAC Display
- Plymouth State University Libary Here's a sample item record for a book displayed in blog format (WordPress is the blogging software behind the scenes). Note the Amazon.com description at the bottom of the entry, as well as the "Search Inside This Book" feature, also from Amazon.com. Finally, note the list of "Related" items.
Bibliographer Feeds
These are subject specific, and posts are written by the relevant bibliographer (e.g., the bibliographer for history writes the posts for the history feed).
Catalog Feeds
These feeds mine holdings info in the online catalog to generate lists of new acquisitions.
Current Awareness for Journals
Some journal publishers are generating feeds for each journal that alert users of new issues.
Library Instruction Feeds
Library News
Reference Services Feeds
These public feeds offer a mix of instruction and reference information for the library's users.
Specific User Groups
Feeds Aimed at Librarians
These feeds are hidden from the view of users and are written by and and for library staff.
Further Reading
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