Why a blog?

To me a blog -- or beblog -- is just a way of getting information up to the web. Two important differences between this an any other web page are:

1. the posts are chronological, and
2. it allows others to comment on those items.

This makes a blog perfect for posting timely news and information about the library. Examples of this would be a new books list, changes in the opening hours, storm closures and so one. I've also set the permissions so that myself, the Library Director, and the Instruction & Outreach Librarian can post these messages from home... very handy in case of a snow storm.

It is also a handy tool for soliciting feedback from our patrons. For example, if we lengthen or shorten our opening hours, we can get feedback right away. This feedback is checked for appropiateness by the Library staff before it is allowed to appear on the blog page.

There are other "pros" to using a blog to post news and information. The interface is easy to use. It is just like any text editor. I can add pictures (or so I'm told), links, and so on. The posts are automatically archived, so we have an ongoing record of news at the library. We can also create RSS feeds so that staff posts -- but not comments -- will autopopulate our library homepage. This is often what you see when webpages have "News" sections.

The "cons"? After the staff ok's your comment, anyone can see it. Other than that, I can't think of anything. Can you? Feel free to post.

Keith
Electronic Serivces Librarian
AST Library