Two library blogs that deserve your attention
Thursday, July 1, 2010 at 08:10AM I judge the value of a blog by the number of "stars" its posts get in my GoogleReader. The star means "Dang, I gotta save that post to read a little more closely."
Two library-focused blogs have been getting a lot of stars from me lately and they deserve wide-readership.
Jeri Hurd's Bib2.0 is a fine combination of new tools, commentary and personal reflections. As Jeri writes in her post celebrating the blog's third anniversary:
It has been a remarkable tool for exploring my own thoughts on the changing landscape that is education and technology, and a marvelous opportunity to share those and ideas with the wider community. What a marvel it is, eh--a chance to publish and build an audience, without having to hazard the rigors of the usual editorial process. That may not always be a good thing, but it does change the very nature of the game.
Miranda-like, sometimes I can only stand in awe and murmur, "O, brave, new world..."
Jeri is about to undertake a new adventure to Ulan Bator, Mongolia, as a teacher-librarian in an international school there.
Leigh Ann Jones's Shelf Consumed. Leigh Ann, a library supervisor for Frisco (TX) ISD, has been posting great stuff. Just check Leigh Ann's recent post Things I believe....
- Nobody knows the future of reading and libraries.
- There will always be people predicting doom and gloom.
- Budget woes come and go.
- Libraries date back to hundreds of years BC and will likely be around many more centuries.
- Reading is more important than the format of the book. If printed books eventually get squeezed out in favor of digital formats, we'll still be reading.
- Education is slow moving and school library budgets are slim. So while school libraries may move toward online and digital formats, especially for reference and nonfiction, traditional printed books will be around a long time.
- There's a difference in libraries merely surviving and libraries being vital.
- Librarians are that difference.
- A few critical things to vibrant libraries: relationships, service, willingness to share knowlege, meeting students and staff where they are, and keeping current.
- If we hold on to the 20th century model, we'll be alone in our quiet libraries!
Put these in your RSS Readers and go back and review the archives. You'll find both Jeri and Leigh Ann valuable members of your PLN.
Reader Comments (5)
Oooh, Shelf Consumed is perfect for a newbie like me! Thanks!
Thanks, Doug. You've been a great source of information for me for several years. Please keep sharing your observations and resources!
I just saw this. Thanks so much for the recommendation, Doug. You know you're my guru, so it means a lot! : )
Are you out of Kansas yet? Did you see Dorothy?
Hugs!
My grandfather was a librarian who until his death instilled upon his relatives the beauty and importance of the library. Unfortunately, his learning didn't imprint on me much because of the internet. Why look at the library when you can just click your query on your laptop in the most comfortable places you ever could wish for?? Although I personally don't like libraries, I like librarians. I really believe what Leign Ann said that the librarians are the difference. They are the ones who make the libraries a better place. They are the "it" factor. And with your post indicating that they even have library blogs, I'm sure they will make the internet a better place. Especially now wherein children and students are expose to different articles and websites, hopefully, these librarians can guide them to the "light" of learning in the web.
Hi Mari,
I expect your views are shared by many in your generation and an increasing number of older adults as well. it's why blogs like Jeri's and Leigh Ann's are so important to librarians if they wish to reinvent themselves in ways that will serve younger library users.
Thanks for the comment,
Doug