LIR HEANet User Group for Libraries Seminar Emerging Technologies for Libraries and Education 8th De

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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
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Blogs???

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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

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Blogs can be many different things.

• Personal diary or journal
• News and information service
• Ongoing project report
• Photo gallery
• Collection of links
• Etc.

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Why Blog?

• Communication
• Collaboration
• Free and (relatively) simple!
• Dont need to be a techie
• Effective Broadcast tool
• Often quicker than your News page!

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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)

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UCD Science Library Bloglthttp//ucdscience.blogsp
ot.comgt

• 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

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UCD Science blog screenshot here
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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

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Our Target Audience

• Students of all science subjects
• Science staff (academics)
• The wider academic library community(?)

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Statistics

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

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Statistics

• RSS Feeds Feed Readers

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Statistics

• Sitemeter free statistical service that tracks
  where the viewers are coming from.

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Statistics

• Sitemeter free statistical service that tracks
  where the viewers are coming from.

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Statistics

• Sitemeter free statistical service that tracks
  where the viewers are coming from.

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Notes on updating

• Try to update regularly
• Always something to post
• Work as a team
• Collaboration helps!

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Notes on updating
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SO.. feeling UNDER PRESSURE to post?
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Why Not Collaborate?
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Marketing your library blog

• Its 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?

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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

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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

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Overall Effectiveness?

• Were 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
• lthttp//www.istl.org/06-winter/internet2.htmlgt

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Overall Effectiveness?

• Mentioned by Michael Stephens of
• Tame the Web
• http//www.tametheweb.com

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Some Irish academic blogs

• University College Dublin (academic staff blog)
  http//www.podvet.com/blogs/
• University of Limerick Library http//ullb.blogspo
  t.com/
• Dundalk Institute of Technology Library
  http//dundalkinstitute.library-blogs.net/

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• http//www.podvet.com/blogs/

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Examples from the wider world

• Some Types
• Subject specific
• Acquisitions/Cataloguing
• Systems
• ILL
• General library news
• Collaborative within the profession

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Subject-Specific
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Acquisitions
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Systems
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InterLibrary Loans
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Library News (General)
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Collaborative Blog across distances
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Blog Directories

• Blog Directory Wiki
• lthttp//www.blogwithoutalibrary.netgt
• Library Information Science Wiki
• http//liswiki.org/wiki/Weblogs
• Technorati
• http//www.technorati.com/

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THANK YOU!
Josh Clark Tel [phone] email
joshua.clark_at_ucd.ie Diarmuid Stokes Tel 01 716
6207 email diarmuid.stokes_at_ucd.ie University
College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4