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Libraries and Blogs: new communication tools for academic librarians

LIR HEANet User Group for Libraries Seminar ~ Emerging Technologies for Libraries and Education ~ 8 th Dec 2006. Libraries and Blogs: new communication tools for academic librarians Josh Clark, University College Dublin Diarmuid Stokes, UCD. UCD Library.

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Libraries and Blogs: new communication tools for academic librarians

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  1. LIR HEANet User Group for Libraries Seminar ~ Emerging Technologies for Libraries and Education ~ 8th Dec 2006 Libraries and Blogs: new communication tools for academic librarians Josh Clark, University College Dublin Diarmuid Stokes, UCD UCD Library An Coláiste Ollscoil, Baile Átha Cliath Leabharlann UCD

  2. Blogs???

  3. What is a Blog? • from the term “Web log” invented by Jorn Barger in 1997 • A website that contains entries, or “posts”, displayed in reverse chronological order • Posts often contain text, images, video and links to other websites • Readers can comment on posts, making it an interactive experience • Includes RSS feeds

  4. Blogs can be many different things…. • Personal diary or journal • News and information service • Ongoing project report • Photo gallery • Collection of links • Etc.

  5. Why Blog? • Communication • Collaboration • Free and (relatively) simple! • Don’t need to be a “techie” • Effective Broadcast tool • Often quicker than your “News” page!

  6. Why Blog? • Public relations & library marketing tool • Can be more dynamic than your website • Take advantage of “Web 2.0” • Attract and engage younger users (“digital natives”, or “millennials”)

  7. UCD Science Library Blog<http://ucdscience.blogspot.com> • Created in April 2005 • Uses Blogger software (free) • Originally 2 librarians, now 3 team members • (Try to) update regularly (150+ posts so far) • Covers all sciences

  8. UCD Science blog screenshot here

  9. Reasons for creating our blog • Communicating science library news and events • Advertising training sessions • Announcing new e-resources (especially IReL!) • Recent acquisitions (monographs and journals) • Resources on the web

  10. Our Target Audience • Students of all science subjects • Science staff (academics) • The wider academic library community(?)

  11. Statistics • We have an RSS feed AND a web counter • 59 subscribers(?)

  12. Statistics RSS Feeds & Feed Readers

  13. Statistics Sitemeter – free statistical service that tracks where the viewers are coming from….

  14. Statistics Sitemeter – free statistical service that tracks where the viewers are coming from….

  15. Statistics Sitemeter – free statistical service that tracks where the viewers are coming from….

  16. Notes on updating… • Try to update regularly • Always something to post • Work as a team • Collaboration helps!

  17. Notes on updating…

  18. SO….. feeling UNDER PRESSURE to post?

  19. Why Not Collaborate?

  20. Marketing your library blog… • It’s the key to success! • Include in your library orientation & information skills sessions • email your users (academic staff) • Why not include your blog URL in your email signature?

  21. Marketing your library blog • Advertise on your library website and/or newsletter • Include a link from your subject portal(s) • Create posters for your library • Place your blog on blog directories, i.e. Technorati

  22. Overall Effectiveness? • Positive feedback from academic staff • Employing free statistical software • Showing hits from all over the world (including UCD!) • Still, could use more marketing…

  23. Overall Effectiveness? • We’re also referenced in Slebodnik, Maribeth. Marketing and Outreach for Science & Technology Libraries: Selected Resources. Issues in Science & Technology Librarianship. No. 45, Winter 2006. Found at: <http://www.istl.org/06-winter/internet2.html>

  24. Overall Effectiveness? Mentioned by Michael Stephens of “Tame the Web” http://www.tametheweb.com

  25. Some Irish academic blogs • University College Dublin (academic staff blog) http://www.podvet.com/blogs/ • University of Limerick Library http://ullb.blogspot.com/ • Dundalk Institute of Technology Library http://dundalkinstitute.library-blogs.net/

  26. http://www.podvet.com/blogs/

  27. Examples from the wider world Some Types: • Subject specific • Acquisitions/Cataloguing • Systems • ILL • General library news • Collaborative within the profession

  28. Subject-Specific

  29. Acquisitions

  30. Systems

  31. InterLibrary Loans

  32. Library News (General)

  33. Collaborative Blog across distances

  34. Blog Directories Blog Directory Wiki <http://www.blogwithoutalibrary.net> Library & Information Science Wiki http://liswiki.org/wiki/Weblogs Technorati http://www.technorati.com/

  35. THANK YOU! Josh Clark Tel: 01 716 7646 email: joshua.clark@ucd.ie Diarmuid Stokes Tel: 01 716 6207 email: diarmuid.stokes@ucd.ie University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4

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