Public Libraries and Blogging: Children’s Services
From LIS5313
by Danielle W.
Contents |
[edit] Introduction
The World Wide Web has drastically changed the way we communicate. The term Web 2.0 is often used to describe the collective ways that the Web has changed society, and it's offshoot, Library 2.0, conceptualizes how libraries can incorporporate Web 2.0 technologies into their service models. Elizabeth L. Black observes that the "hallmarks of Library 2.0 and Web 2.0 are that more people share their ideas, contribute content, and have easier access to collaborative tools" (ed. Courtney 2007 pp1).
Public libraries must continually strive to incorporate Web 2.0 technologies into their service models, and children's services departments are no exception. As the communities we serve become more technologically savvy, libraries must also take advantage of collaborative tools to remain relevant to their patrons big and small. One of the easiest and most effective ways that children's services departments can reach their patrons online is by publishing a blog.
[edit] What is a Blog?
[edit] Overview
The term "blog" originates from the phrase "web log." It is a website created by a person or small group of people that consists of a series of entries posted over time. Most blogs have a specific subject matter or topic that they explore, and the simplicity of blog creation allows individuals to publish their views and ideas easily. A blog's author is called a "blogger."
Many blogs have the ability for readers to post comments. This function enables two way communication and promotes discussion on the blog. Tagging is another feature that is commonly used in blogs. Bloggers can select key words that describe the content of a particular post, and these key words are called tags. Tagging helps to categorize the content of a blog so that a reader can easily navigate to all of the posts that have a certain tag.
M. Natarajan (2007) described common key elements of blogs:
- Content changes frequently
- They are written from a personal point of view
- They facilitate collaboration or contact with the author
- Material is topical
- Issues discussed in detail are typically current
- They respond to news rather than create news
- They are displayed in reverse chronological order, with the most recent entry at the top
[edit] Benefits
Donna Braquet, Life Sciences Librarian at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, identified the following benefits of using blogs to communicate with library patrons:
- Blog entries are form based, so you do not need to know HTML.
- The workload may be shared among multiple blog authors.
- Content is archived and searchable.
- An optional comments feature allows two-way communication.
- RSS feeds allow you to reach those using newsreaders.
- Blogs provide a way to continuously promote your library and post information ‘just in time.'
- Blog software and hosting is inexpensive and sometimes free.
- Content and design are independent, so aesthetic changes do not affect content. (Robinson 2006 pp.7)
[edit] Tools
Blogging technologies make it easy for even non-technical librarians to publish a blog. There are many options for blog hosting services or for standalone blogging software. PC Magazine identified the following 4 tools as the best free blogging software options and provided brief descriptions:
- Blogger Blogger was one of the first blog-publishing tools. Years after Google bought it, it remains one of the best, especially for newbies. Create a brain-dead simple weblog and let Blogger host it (with a blogspot.com name) using the slew of provided templates, or use it to publish a blog on your own domain.
- w.bloggar This post and template editor can handle multiple blogs, across multiple blogging systems.
- Windows Live Writer Live Writer is not a word processor, but a universal, WYSIWYG blog-posting tool more powerful than most blog services' own tools.
- WordPress It lacks the simplicity of Blogger or Vox, but the commercial offshoot of WordPress.org offers some of the best tools of any hosted blogging service. (Griffith 2008)
[edit] How Blogs Are Used in Public Libraries' Children's Departments
[edit] Programming & Events
Blogs offer an excellent way for public libraries to promote their programming and events. Placing content on a library's primary Web site frequently involves formally submitting content to the library's Web developers, a process which can be time consuming. With blog technology, librarians can actively generate their own content and do not have to conform to anyone else's timeframe. Event changes or updates can be posted quickly and easily, and the blog can serve as a great reminder about upcoming events that are already featured on the primary Web site. Featuring upcoming events can help generate buzz and excitement to drive attendance. A blog can also be used to share pictures and results from events once they have been completed.
[edit] Book Reviews
Many children's department blogs include posts with book reviews. Jessica Zellers (2007) notes that posting book reviews on a blog offers another vein of reader advisory. Although she contributes to an adult services blog at the Williamsburg Public Library, her observations are applicable to children's blogs as well. She notes that the tagging feature of blogs makes them especially adept at helping readers find books in which they are interested. The librarians who write the reviews tag them carefully to help patrons navigate the accumulated reviews; similarly, the librarians themselves can take advantage of the tagged reviews on the blogs when approached by a reader who is looking for a book of a particular genre, theme, form, etc. Children's books can be tagged by common themes (animals, sports, school stories), genre (biography, poetry, fiction), awards (Newbery Medal, Caldecott Medal, Pura Belpré Medal), or reading level.
Many kids blogs post reviews for new books, but posting reviews for older materials can help boost circulation as well. Zellers notes that almost every item they have reviewed has gone into circulation immediately following the review's post. Raya Kuzyk (2006) also cites blog reviews as an innovative way to draw readers' attention to mid and backlist books that they might otherwise overlook.
[edit] Librarian Benefits
Blogs also provide many benefits to the librarians who participate in publishing them. In an interview conducted over email in April 2008, Tasha Saecker of the Menasha Public Library observed that contributing to the Kids Lit Blog helped her to, "keep track of [her] reading, to encourage [herself] to read with critical thinking and to stay abreast of children’s and teen lit." When a librarian knows she is accountable to post a specified number of reviews to a blog per week or per month, it encourages her to read more books and become more familiar with the materials contained in the library's collection. The more familiar a librarian is with the collection, the better she will be able to offer reader's advisory to her patrons.
Blogs can also promote collaboration with other libraries and librarians. A librarian in one system can seek out book reviews on another library's blog when making decisions regarding collection development. Also, one library could learn about a successful event held in another library and reach out to the blog author for advice or information on developing similar programming within their own library.
[edit] Blogging in Action
[edit] Menasha Public Library
Tasha Saecker, director of the Menasha Public Library in Menasha, WI, started the Kids Lit Blog in August of 2003. In an email interview conducted in April of 2008, Tasha identified providing quality children's literature reviews and informing her community about the value of reading as among her primary reasons for starting the blog.
She contributes to the blog several times a week. Each post is tagged with the appropriate categories from a list of twelve categories: authors, awards, book reviews, chapter books, graphic novels, movies, new books, picture books, publishers, recommended links, story times, and teens. The categories are listed on the left hand side of the blog so that patrons can easily navigate to posts of interest. A list of the most recent posts is also available in the left hand navigation, as well as links to archived entries for each month the blog has been published.
Many of the blog posts offer book reviews or descriptions, and each of these posts includes a cover image of the book and a link to a third party source such as Amazon or WorldCat. She frequently highlights award winning literature, including well known awards such as the Newbery and Caldecott Medals, as well as notables and recommended reading lists from groups and organizations such as YALSA, CCBC, and the New York Public Library. Posts in the recommended links category direct patrons toward newsworthy articles on a number of literary topics, as well as other blogs that cover children's literature and reading.
[edit] Allen County Public Library
The Allen County Public Library is located in Fort Wayne, IN. They began publishing their Kids Blog in September of 2007, and new posts are added daily. They keep the content fresh by posting on a variety of topics including collection highlights, upcoming events and programming, library services and features, book reviews by children, reading lists, fun Web sites, contests and promotions, book awards, and more. Almost every post visually engages readers with a cover shot of a book, a colorful graphic, or a photograph. Each post is also tagged with labels that are available for browsing in the left hand navigation of the blog. Readers interested in a particular label can simply click on it to view all related posts. Also found in the left hand navigation are the blog archives, links for kids and grownups, Twitter updates, and a link to the department's flickr photo page.
In addition to their general interest Kids Blog, ACPL publishes four blogs devoted to the mock elections they hold every year. These blogs provide a forum for teachers, librarians, and interested adults to discuss titles they feel are deserving of the Caldecott Medal, Geisel Award, Newbery Medal, and Sibert Medal. You can find links to each of ACPL's mock elections blogs in the Resources section of this article.
To learn more about the ACPL Kids Blog, watch this slidecast to take a tour of the blog, or read on to find an interview with Heather Acerro, the Assistant Manager of ACPL Children's Services.
[edit] From the Mouths of Bloggers
Heather Acerro is the Children's Services Assistant Manager at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, IN. She is one of the primary authors of their ACPL Kids Blog, as well as a frequent contributor to the blogs for each of the mock elections the library runs. I had the opportunity to interview Heather over email in April of 2008, and the following is a transcript of the interview:
Q: What are the goals for your blog?
Heather: Our goals for the blog are similar to the goals of any program - to educate, provide access, promote the library, highlight the collection and services. In addition, we want the Children's Services department to be part of the online library community. This is another place to meet and greet patrons and get them into the library. We also set the goal when we started to update the blog daily to keep it fresh.
Q: What kind of response have you received from your patrons?
Heather: All positive responses. Many in-person library users consult the blog on a regular basis. I have heard positive comments from patrons who checked out or placed a hold on a title that was featured on the blog, printed off pictures of their children from the blog or the flickr site, and teachers who were able to share photos or videos of class visits with parents because of the blog.
Q: What challenges have you encountered?
Heather: Time. There is never enough time! It is difficult to maintain the pace of a post a day. It takes planning and foresight to keep up the pace. Whenever I have a free minute, I will create a new post and have it ready for the next time we need one. I also started "A Child's Book Review" and "Early Learning Center Mailbox" with the idea that I could post on these topics once a week. That hasn't worked out exactly, but they do come up every few weeks to fill in space when needed. At first it was difficult to identify our audience. It took us awhile to figure out that we blog for the same people that we serve in person - children from birth through 5th grades, their caregivers, adults who work with children and anyone interested in children's literature. The voice of our posts change depending on who the intended audience is.
Q: How do you promote the blog to patrons?
Heather: We have business cards with the blog address. As we visit with classes or present programs, we will talk about the blog. I often take photos at programs and post them on the blog and flickr. I will announce this at the program and pass out the business cards, this generates a lot of traffic to the blog and parents or grandparents who can't be at the program really enjoy it. We have a feed of the blog on our webpage and a LOT of our hits come through there. We also send out links to our blog over online library listservs when there are posts about items of national interest - such as the Mock awards.
Q: What advice do you have for other public libraries that are interested in starting a children’s services blog?
Heather: Update, update, update. I really think that we would lose a lot of our readers if we didn't keep it fresh.
Q: Do you have statistics on blog hits or RSS subscribers?
Heather: Yes. We have very few RSS subscribers - I may not have accurate stats on this. We really got the blog off the ground in late November 2007. Our first full month - we had approx 1200 visits. January was our biggest month with 1800 visits (this is the month all of the Mock award elections were announced). February and March 2008 we had approx 1200 visits.
[edit] Conclusion
Blogs offer public libraries an innovative way to connect with patrons. The ease and flexibility of blogging allows children’s services departments to engage the community and drive interest in reading, programming, and other library services. The collaborative nature of blogs allows readers to actively participate in the library even when they can’t physically visit. As Americans spend more and more time online, blogs are an excellent tool that librarians can use to promote literacy and lifelong learning.
[edit] References
Courtney, N (ed.) 2007, Library 2.0 and beyond: Innovative technologies and tomorrow's user, Libraries Unlimited, Westport, CT.
Griffith, E 2008, The best free software, PC Magazine. Available from <http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2270811,00.asp> [20 April 2008].
Kuzyk, R 2006, 'A reader at every shelf', Library Journal, vol. 131, no. 3, pp. 32-5. Available from: WilsonWeb. [11 April 2008].
Natarajan, M 2007, 'Blogs: A powerful tool for accessing information', DESIDOC Bulletin of Information Technology, vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 13-20. Available from: WilsonWeb. [20 April 2008].
Robinson, B 2006, 'Newsletters, blogs, or RSS: How does your library spread the news?', Tennessee Libraries (Online), vol. 56, no. 2, pp. 1-9. Available from: WilsonWeb. [11 April 2008].
Zellers, J 2007, 'In blog heaven: A painless new approach to readers' advisory', Virginia Libraries, vol. 53, no. 3, pp. 23-4. Available from: WilsonWeb. [13 April 2008].
[edit] Resources
[edit] Examples
- ACPL Kids Blog: a blog by the Children's Services department of the Allen County Public Library (ACPL) in Ft. Wayne, IN.
- ACPL Mock Caldecott Blog: ACPL's blog to discuss the best new illustrated picture books for children.
- ACPL Mock Geisel Blog: ACPL's blog to discuss outstanding new contributions to children's literature for early readers.
- ACPL Mock Newbery Blog: ACPL's blog to discuss outstanding new contributions to children's literature.
- ACPL Mock Sibert Blog: ACPL's blog to discuss the best new informational books for children.
- Menasha Public Library Kids Lit Blog: A blog published by the children's services department of the Menasha Public Library
[edit] Blogging Tools
[edit] Media Resources
- Blogs in Plain English: a video by the Common Craft Show that explains how blogs work.
- Blogging in Public Libraries: a slidecast tour by Danielle W. of the Allen County Public Library's Kids Blog.
