Last update: January 2007
Due to time constraints and the explosion of articles about blogs, this blog will no longer be updated.
Part 1: Definitions & History
Part 2: Articles & Interviews About Blogs
Part 4: BlogBib: Blogging Tools
Part 5: BlogBib: Select Librarian/Library Blogs
Part 6: BlogBib: Books on Blogging
Part 7: BlogBib: Studies on Blogging
Part 8: BlogBib: Presentations on Blogging
Albanese, Andrew. “UM Library Offers Free Blogs.” Library Journal 129, no. 9 (5/15/2004): 18. http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA415382.html
Albanese describes the revolutionary program at University of Minnesota Libraries. “UM asserts that blogging is key to the library's mission, from collecting ‘campus history’ to facilitating academic discourse. ‘We are not unique in using blogs in an academic environment, but we are unique in that we saw that the university libraries could lead the effort,’ said Nackenrud ....UM officials think blogs may transform the academic enterprise--and they want the library to be part of that. Already, Nackenrud said, professors have said they'll use the blogs for specific classes to encourage discussion and debate.”
Anderson, Joseph. “St. Joseph County (IN) Public Library: How Do You Spell ‘Blog’?” WebJunction, February 2005. http://webjunction.org/do/DisplayContent?id=9140.
Joe Anderson, blogger and editor of WebJunction, describes how, for the St. Joseph County (IN) Public Library, "blog" spells "outreach to patrons". Learn how they've put the hippest new communication tool to good practical use.
Angeles, Michael. “K-Logging: Supporting KM with Web Logs.” Library Journal 128, no. 7 (4/15/2003).
http://www.libraryjournal.com/index.asp?layout=article&article
id=CA286642.
Angeles, Information Specialist at Lucent Technologies, explains how K-loggers can advance knowledge management with the support of librarians
Balas, Janet L. "Here a Blog, There a Blog, Even the Library Has a Web Log." Computers in Libraries 23, no. 10 (November-December 2003): 41-43. http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0198-34661/Here-a-blog-there-a.html.
Balas, Library Information Systems Specialist, Monroeville, PA, explores how blogs can fit into public library services.
Barron, Daniel D. "Blogs, Wikis, Alt Com, and the New Information Landscape: A Library Media Specialist's Guide." School Library Media Activities Monthly 20, no. 2 (October 2003): 48-51.
Barron, Professor and Coordinator of the School Library Media Program, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, reports on the use of blogs in library media centers.
Berger, Pam. "Are You Blogging Yet?" Information Searcher 14, no. 2:1-4. http://www.scarsdaleschools.k12.ny.us/hslib/gapsweb/blog.htm.
Berger, Editor of Information Searcher, examines the use of blogs in school libraries as well as education blogs.
“Blake Carver: Ohio State University: Building an Online Community.” Library Journal. 3/15/2002.
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/ca201115?display=
ljms&pubdate=3%2f15%2f2002.
A brief profile of Carver, Assistant Professor and Web Librarian, Ohio State University, Columbus, one of Library Journal’s Movers & Shakers, about his motivation for starting LISNews.com, a collaborative blog.
Block, Marylaine. "Communicating Off the Page." Library Journal 126, no. 15 (2001).
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA155178.
Block, prolific writer and inspiring speaker, creator of Best Information on the Net, O'Keefe Library, St. Ambrose University, compares library blogs to Marvin Scilken's The U*N*A*B*A*S*H*E*D Librarian. She speculates that Scilken may have written the “original library zine: a personal magazine where the editor/publisher's philosophy and passion for his subject permeated every page.” In addition, she highlights the early library blogs.
Carver, Blake. "Is It Time To Get Blogging?" Library Journal 128, no. 1 (January 15, 2003). http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA266428.
Carver, Assistant Professor and Web Librarian, Ohio State University, Columbus, and the founder and webmaster of LISNews.com, a web site devoted to current events for librarians, asks and answers the question: "Should your library blog?". He portrays blogs as tools "to do what we've always done: collect, categorize, and make information accessible." Carver emphasizes the ease of using blogs and the PR benefits: "After all, adding a blog to your library's sites is free and easy. It is also a quick way for you and your staff to communicate information to your public and, if you choose, to provide a forum for your public to join the discussion."
Chang, May. “I've Gathered a Basket of COMMUNICATION and COLLABORATION TOOLS.” Computers in Libraries, 24, no. 8 (September 2004): 6-8 and 61-64.
Chang, Web Development Librarian, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC, describes the ups and downs of launching the NCSU library blog.
Clyde, L. Anne. “Library weblogs.” Library Management 25, nos. 4-5 (April, 2004): 183-189.
Professor and Chair of the Library and Information Science Department at the University of Iceland, Reykjavík, where she taught courses related to information technology in libraries and information agencies, Clyde was the most prolific European writer and presenter on blogging and libraries. Here Clyde reported on her 2003 study of library weblogs, citing how few library blogs exist, commenting on “why so few”, and discussing the implications for library managers.
___. "Shall We Blog?" Teacher Librarian 30, no. 1 (October 01, 2002): 44-46.
In this article Clyde focuses on blogging in school libraries.
___. "Weblogs and Blogging, Part 1." Free Pint 111 (May 2, 2002). http://www.freepint.com/issues/020502.htm#feature.
___. "Weblogs and Blogging, Part 2." Free Pint 112 (May 16, 2002). http://www.freepint.com/issues/160502.htm#feature.
Here Clyde provided a useful overview of blogging, discussed the empowering effect of writing blogs, and provided an annotated list to significant library blogs.
Cohen, Steven M. "The 'New Breed' of Library Weblogs." Library Stuff, November 9, 2003. http://www.librarystuff.net/new_archives/001026.html.
Cohen, Senior Librarian, Law Library Management Incorporated, Huntington, New York, is the creator of Library Stuff, a library weblog “dedicated to resources for keeping current and professional development.” He was also “Internet Spotlight” columnist for Public Libraries magazine, and his first book, Keeping Current – Advanced Internet Strategies to Meet Librarian and Patron Needs, was published by ALA in October, 2003. He also was honored in 2004 as one of 55 "Movers and Shakers" by Library Journal. Cohen focuses on seven new library blogs and discusses motivation of the writers as well as trends, highlighting anonymity and marketing.
___. "Weblogs and Public Libraries." Public Library Association. http://www.ala.org/ala/pla/plapubs/epublications/weblogs.htm.
This ePub, solicited by the Public Library Association, discusses "how public libraries are using weblogs on their library web-pages to provide content, enhance community interaction, and market programs." Includes an annotated list of public libraries that use weblogs effectively and two helpful charts: Blog Software Features, a comparison of major blogging software, and Blog Aggregator Features, a comparison of RSS tools.
Crawford, Walt. "Starting a Bicycle Club: Weblogs Revisited." American Libraries 35, no. 1 (January 2004): 90-91.
http://www.ala.org/al_onlineTemplate.cfm?Section=crawford
2004&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&
ContentID=52691.
Crawford, senior analyst at Research Libraries Group, Mountain View, CA, has been a full-time professional in library automation since 1968, at RLG since 1979. He is currently lead designer for Eureka, RLG's end-user search service, and OpenURL analyst. An award-winning writer and speaker, Crawford has written fourteen books and more than 400 articles and columns on the intersections of technology, media, libraries, messages, and people. Despite the fact that seven of the nine library blogs he profiled in his article two years ago are still in business, Crawford still seems cautious about the usefulness of blogs for libraries.
___. “'You Must Read This’: Library Weblogs.” American Libraries 32, no.9 (October 2001): 74-79.
The first ALA article about blogs, highlighting nine library blogging pioneers.
Crego, Susannah. "Breaking News: Law Librarians as Newscasters." New Jersey Law Journal 31 (August 2001). http://www.law.com/jsp/printerfriendly.jsp?c=
LawArticle&t=PrinterFriendlyArticle&cid=1015973975318.
Crego, M.L.S., J.D., a Fairfield, CT law librarian, examines the advantages of blogs for law librarians looking to deliver "up-to-the-minute...current, factual information" to their firms.
Curling, Cindy. "A Closer Look at Weblogs." LLRX.com, October 15, 2001. http://www.llrx.com/columns/notes46.htm.
A critique of blogging by law librarian Curling with excellent links for finding blogs of interest and creating/maintaining a blog.
Davis, Gillian. "An Interview With Blake Carver." Part 1. Suite 101.com, April 12, 2002.
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/9460/90956.
___. "An Interview With Blake Carver." Part 2. Suite 101.com, April 22, 2002.
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/9460/90957.
In this two-part interview, Davis, Suite 101.com's Librarians and Information Science guide, speaks with Carver about when and why he started LISNews.com as well as his philosophy of blogging.
Embrey, Theresa Ross. "You Blog, We Blog: A Guide to How Teacher-Librarians Can Use Weblogs To Build Communication And Research Skills." Teacher Librarian 30, no. 2 (December, 2002): 7-9.
http://www.teacherlibrarian.com/tlmag/v_30/v_30_2_feature.html.
Embrey, Automation Coordinator for the Chicago Library System, provides an overview of blogging as well as suggestions for incorporating blogs into school libraries and classrooms.
Estep, Erik S. and Julia Gelfand. “WEBLOGS.” LIBRARY HI TECH NEWS 20, no. 5:11-12.
Estep, Social Sciences Librarian, Illinois State University, Normal, IL and Gelfand, Applied Sciences and Engineering Librarian, University of California, Irvine, provide a brief overview of blogging and discuss the use of blogs in library instruction.
Fichter, Darlene. "Blogging Your Life Away." ONLINE 25, no. 3 (May 2001): 68-71.
Fichter, veteran blogger, is Data Library Coordinator, University of Saskatchewan Library, SK, Canada. Since 1991, she has managed dozens of digital library, Internet, intranet, and extranet projects. Fichter is particularly interested in human-computer interaction and emerging technologies. In addition to speaking at library and IT conferences, Fichter is the Intranet Librarian columnist for ONLINE magazine.
This early article on library blogs focuses on the needs of Intranet developers. “There is a lot of buzz about creating intranets that help workers share knowledge. Weblogs might be one approach to take within the knowledge management initiative. Imagine teams and departments creating individual or collaborative Weblogs that post sites, files, notes, and commentary. Weblogs can keep everyone in the loop and allow ideas to flow within the team and among teams.”
___. "Blogging Software For Intranet Applications: You Can Put Your Own Creative Juices To Work Thinking Up Ways To Use Weblog Software." ONLINE 27, no. 1, (January-February, 2003): 61-64.
Fichter reports on creating Intranet blogs "to share ideas, insights, links to related sites, and commentary. As a Webmaster, you might want a convenient way to post company news or highlight new library resources. Alternately, a department might want you to create a newsletter publishing application by yesterday... the focus is on how to choose Weblog software that suits your Intranet.”
___. "Why and How to Use Blogs to Promote Your Library's Services." Marketing Library Services 17, no. 6 (November-December 2003): 1-4. http://www.infotoday.com/mls/nov03/fichter.shtml.
If you only have time to read one article on blogging, this is the one to read. In addition to a concise overview of the blogging phenomenon, Fichter outlines the process of starting a library blog, highlights features you may wish to include, provides specific marketing suggestions, and includes a guide to blogging tools.
Garrod, Penny. "Weblogs: Do They Belong In Libraries?" Ariadne 40 (July 30, 2004).
http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue40/public-libraries/.
Garrod, Public Library Networking Focus, UKOLN (UK Office for Library Networking), examines blogging in UK libraries (with links to UK blogs), blogs for young readers, and local councillors.
Goans, Doug and Teri M. Vogel. “Building a Home for Library News with a Blog.” Computers in Libraries 23, no.10 (November-December 2003): 20-26. http://www.infotoday.com/cilmag/nov03/goans_vogel.shtml.
Goans, Web Development Librarian, and Vogel, Science Liaison/Reference Librarian, Georgia State University Library, use a clever metaphor of building a home to describe the evolution of their collaborative blogging project. If you are considering a blog for your library, their process will be very helpful.
Grady, Jenifer. “Who’s Blogging?" Library Worklife 1, no. 5.
http://www.ala-apa.org/newsletter/vol1no5/worklife.html.
Grady, editor of this new publication from ALA, offers a brief look at a variety of library blogs.
Hane, Paula. “Blogs Are a Natural for Librarians." NewsLink, no. 24 (October 2001).
http://www.infotoday.com/newslink/newslink0110.htm.
Hane, contributing editor, Information Today, and editor of NewsBreaks, is a former reference librarian and longtime online searcher. Author of Super Searchers in the News: The Online Secrets of Journalists & News Researchers, "Hane outlines a ‘tool-kit’ of some of her favourite library blogs in terms of the rich offering of resources each provides."
Harder, Geoffrey and Randy Reichardt. "Throw Another Blog on the Wire: Libraries and the Weblogging Phenomena." Feliciter 49, no. 2 (2003): 85-88.
http://stlq.info/feliciter.pdf.
Harder and Reichardt, public service librarians at the Science & Technology Library, University of Alberta, Canada, provide some excellent suggestions for library blogs in this Canadian Library Association publication. In addition to ideas for public and academic libraries, they focus on subject or discipline-specific blogs, with links to examples.
Huwe, Terence K. “Born to Blog.” Computers in Libraries 23, no.10 (November-December 2003): 44-45. http://www.iir.berkeley.edu/faculty/huwe/column/dec03.pdf.
Huwe, Director, Library and Information Resources, Institute of Industrial Relations, University of California, Berkeley, reports on his inspiration to start blogging after moderating a session presented by Steven Cohen and Jenny Levine at Computers in Libraries 2003. He embraced blogging as a “new technology of collaboration” and found it “tailor-made for digital librarianship”. Although this is a brief article, Huwe's focus on "why should we blog?" and best practices are worth a look.
International Association of School Librarianship (IASL). “Weblogs And Blogging: Resources For School Libraries.” School Libraries Online.
http://www.iasl-slo.org/weblogs.html.
Links to information about blogging, links to lists and directories of weblogs, and some sample school library weblogs from the International Association of School Librarianship (IASL).
Jacobs, James R. "Blogosphere: Exploring the New Killer App for Librarians."
Documents to the People (DttP) 31, no. 2 (Summer, 2003):6-7.
Jacobs, Government Information Librarian, University of California, San Diego, describes blogs as "the Swiss Army Knives of the Web", all-purpose tools for current awareness, collection development, BI and library news.
Johnson, Sarah L. and Rachel Singer Gordon. "Library Job Gurus Create Career Blog Site." Computers in Libraries 24, no. 2 (February 2004): 48.
Johnson, Librarian and Assistant Professor, Eastern Illinois University's Booth Library, and Gordon, Librarian, Franklin Park, IL Public Library, co-authors of The Information Professional's Guide to Career Development Online, are best known for their library job sites. Johnson's Library Job Postings on the Internet and Gordon's Lisjobs.com have recently been combined into http://www.lisjobs.com/jobs/. This brief article announces a new collaborative endeavor, Beyond the Job, the first blog to focus exclusively on professional development opportunities for librarians. "Building on information from their book and their respective library employment sites, the blog is updated daily and offers job search advice, grant and scholarship information, contributor/presenter postings, and other career resources for information professionals. Beyond the Job is at http://librarycareers.blogspot.com."
Lasnick, Karen and Julie Weber. "Blogging: One Firm's Experience." LLRX.com. November 29, 2003.
http://www.llrx.com/features/blogsatlawfirm.htm.
"Blogging for the Bryan Cave libraries in St. Louis, MO and Santa Monica, CA was created in response to a need for disseminating information to people in other offices (and time zones) as quickly and easily as possible. In this brief article, Lasnick, Librarian in the Santa Monica office, and Weber, Librarian in the St. Louis office, discuss their blogging experiences at two Bryan Cave offices by looking at the origins, evolution and future of blogging at Bryan Cave."
Levine, Jenny. “Blogging and the Shifted Librarian.” LISjobs.com. http://www.lisjobs.com/newsletter/archives/jul02jlevine.htm.
Levine discusses blogging as branding and as a “great way to make your voice heard, get your opinions out there, and tie yourself to a specific idea, trend, or topic.”
Mattison, David. “So You Want to Start a Syndicated Revolution.” Searcher; 11, no. 2 (February 2003): 38-48.
Mattison, Access Services Archivist, British Columbia Archives, Victoria,BC, Canada, offers a critical review of blogging in libraries and by librarians. Particularly useful is his review of blogging software and his list of “The Top 12 Blogs for Information Professionals.”
McBride, Matthew. “Open Source Weblog.” Searcher, 12, no. 9 (October 2004): 24-29.
McBride, Principal Information Consultant, Creative Information Consultants, Inc., includes an overview of three open source weblog tools.
Minkel, Walter. “Li-Blog-Ary.” TechKnowledge. School Library Journal 49, no. 12 (December 2003): 28.
Minkel, Technology Editor, School Library Journal, announces the debut of Li-Blog-Ary, a weblog created by Patrick Delaney, librarian at the Galileo Academy of Science and Technology, San Francisco, CA, a public science magnet high school. Delaney cites the advantages of their blog.
Nackerud, Shane. “Blogging and the U of M Libraries.” June 6, 2003. http://staff.lib.umn.edu/ug/uicd-blogmore.phtml.
Nackerud, Web Services Coordinator, University of Minnesota Libraries, and creator and webmaster of UThink: Blogs at the University Libraries, presents this White Paper about blogging in academia, in general, and specifically about the U of M Libraries’ UThink.
Notess, Greg. "The Blog Realm: News Sources, Searching with Daypop, and Content Management." Online 26, no. 5 (September/October 2002). http://www.onlinemag.net/sep02/OnTheNet.htm.
Notess, Reference Librarian, Montana State University, and founder of SearchEngineShowdown.com, highlights the value of blogs for librarians and provides information on searching for relevant blogs.
Pomerantz, Jeffrey and Frederic Stutzman. "Lyceum: A Blogsphere for Library Resources." http://ils.unc.edu/~jpom/conf/JCDL2004.pdf.
Pomerantz and Stutzman, School of Information and Library Science, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, examine how blogs can be used for virtual reference and highlight Lyceum, "an open source software project designed by ibiblio.org, which is a facilitator of blogspheres and a tool for intelligent automatic information management within blogspheres."
Quint, Barbara. “Blogs and Currency.” Information Today, 21, no. 5 (May 2004): 7.
A brief piece from Quint, editor of Searcher magazine, on the radical notion of charging money for blog content.
Schwartz, Greg. "Blogs for Libraries." WebJunction, August 3, 2003. http://webjunction.org/do/DisplayContent?id=767.
Open Stacks author Greg Schwartz, Circulation Support Supervisor, Louisville Free Public Library, Louisville, KY, explores why librarians and libraries should care about blogs.
Sherman, Chris. "Pass Me the Blog, Please." SearchDay, June 14, 2001. http://searchenginewatch.com/showPage.html?page=2158631.
Sherman, Associate Editor, SearchEngineWatch, examines blogs in the context of web searching. Viewing blogs as "the web's equivalent of a sophisticated early warning system", Sherman includes an annotated list of blog search tools.
“The Shifted Librarian--Jenny Levine.” Library Journal. 3/15/2003. http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA281672?display=search
Results&stt=001&text=blog.
A profile of Levine, Internet Development Specialist, Suburban Library System, Burr Ridge, IL, one of Library Journal’s Movers & Shakers. “Levine has one simple goal: to help us librarians become as technologically adept as our users are so that we can deliver services to them when and where they wish to use them and in their preferred medium and platform.”
Shigo, Kimberly. “xrefer Sponsors Current Resources Blog.” Computers in Libraries 23, no. 5 (May 2003): 48.
While this is a brief commercial announcement, it marks a milestone in the library world, as vendor xrefer is providing sponsorship and support for Internet and blogging pioneer Peter Scott’s Library News Daily blog. Reincarnated as Peter Scott's Library Blog, hosted at http://xrefer.blogspot.com/
Scott, Internet and blogging pioneer,
http://www.redgravenstein.com/people/gs/mlis/289/weblog/.
If you only have time to read two articles on blogging, this is the second one to read. Skinner, Librarian for Technical Services at the Jeanne and Charles Schultz Information Center, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA, has written a comprehensive overview of blogging including history; technology; indexes and resources; use of blogs by libraries and librarians; and planning for blogs, including needs assessment, budgeting, staff resources, and evaluation.
Stephens, Michael. “Ten Guidelines for Developing Your Internal Blog.” October 23, 2004. http://www.tametheweb.com/ttwblog/archives/000422.html.
Stephens, Special Projects Librarian, St. Joseph County Public Library, South Bend, IN, and a member of the IMLS Distance Independent PhD. Cohort, University of North Texas, provides eloquent advice about issues to address when developing internal blogs.
___. “Ten Things a Blogging Librarian Must Do (an exercise in common sense).” June 9, 2004. http://www.tametheweb.com/ttwblog/archives/000255.html.
A “code of ethics” for library bloggers.
“Stuff, but Not Nonsense: Steven M. Cohen.” Library Journal. 3/15/2004. http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/ca385870?display=ljms
&pubdate=3%2f15%2f2004.
A brief profile of Cohen, one of Library Journal’s Movers & Shakers, about his blog, Library Stuff, and keeping current, the subject of his book: Keeping Current: Advanced Internet Strategies To Meet Librarian and Patron Needs (ALA, 2003).
Tuining, Joyce A. “Weblogs and Libraries.” Infoserv (November 2003).
http://www.globalknowledge.org/gkps_portal/view_file.cfm?fileid=1845
Tuining, National Library Board, Singapore, uses this topical brief to address the concept of weblog, provides an overview of weblogs in the library and information world, the benefits of weblogs, and examples of library weblogs.
Umbach, Judith M. "Is Blogging for Real?" Feliciter 50, no. 3, (2004): 79.
Umbach, Executive Assistant to the Chief Information Technology Officer, City of Calgary, Alberta, Canada and Chair, Public Library Board, reports on “Throw a Blog on the Wire: Weblogs in the Library World”, a session at the Alberta Library Conference 2004.
Winship, Ian. "Weblogs and RSS in Information Work." Update (August 11, 2004). http://www.cilip.org.uk/publications/updatemagazine/archive/
archive2004/may/update0405b.htm.
Winship, Electronic Services Manager, Learning Resources Department, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, highlights UK blogs and provides pointers on how blogs can be used as "an information resource and as a library service."
Young, Jr., Terrence E. "Blogs: Is the New Online Culture a Fad or the Future?" Net Worth (May-June 2003).
http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslpubsandjournals/kqweb/kqreviews/
networth/v31n5.htm.
Young, a School Library Media Specialist in New Orleans, LA, and Adjunct Instructor of Library Science, University of New Orleans, explores the use of blogs in school library media centers and highlights selected blogs and blogging tools.
Zdenek, Kate. "Blogging @ Your Library." (May 2003). http://www.sls.lib.il.us/reference/por/features/2003/blogging.html.
Zdenek, Adult Services Director, La Grange Park Public Library, La Grange Park, IL, reports on the four different blogs hosted at the La Grange Park Library.
Part 1: BlogBib: Definitions & History
Part 4: BlogBib: Blogging Tools
BlogBib
Copyright © 2004
Susan Herzog
posted by Susan @ 11:31 AM
