Internet Librarian: Blogging at the University

Blogging at the University
Susan Herzog

Susan has a great list on her website: Blogbib (check this out if you haven't yet!).  It provides (among other things) annotated entries for library/librarian blogs.

Susan started with some basic definitions of what a blog is and its role in today’s information world.  She does encourage that bloggers learn at least a little of HTML to deal with the blogging software when it doesn’t do exactly what you think it should. 

She then moved in to how blogs are good for universities and academic libraries, in terms of PR, outreach, and personal and professional advancement.  She also encourages the use of blogs for internal library use as well.  The first steps toward blogging at your academic library would be to find existing academic library blogs and read them.  She also gave a number of pointers on potential content for both internal and external blogs.  Before creating your blog, you also need to consider the purpose of the blog and its intended audience (I feel like I’ve heard this a dozen times during the conference, but it’s just as true each time I hear it). 

She also encourages libraries to develop a blogging policy to ensure that your blog reflects well on your library and offers your bloggers guidance about what is or isn’t appropriate. One good piece of information she gave us was to test our blogs in different browsers.  I would add that you should remember that just because you’re using some spiffy blogging software, it doesn’t mean that they have cross-browser compliance.  You’re responsible for the accessibility and compatibility of your blog.  She concluded by showing us several live examples of academic library blogs.

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