Blogging at a Small Academic Library
Natalie Forshaw
Karen Jensen
Ilana Kingsley
University of Alaska Fairbanks, Rasmuson Library
This blog-style presentation summarizes three uses of blogs at the University of Fairbanks Alaska, Elmer. E. Rasmuson Library:
- Circulation Student Training Blog: Using blogs for training and informing library circulation Student Assistants.
- Liaison Outreach Blog: Using blogs as a communication tool for library liaisons and their assigned department.
- Reference Librarian/Public Service Blog: Using blogs as a collaboration and learning tool for reference librarians.
Each blog targets a different audience, with different communication goals. Presenting all three together allows viewers to compare how librarians can make use of this web tool to reach very different academic audiences. We discuss how each user group reacted to using this tool, the level of independent participation, and how effective the blog is for each of these divergent purposes. We also discuss the skills needed by blog participants, and how librarians can help to provide users with the needed skills so that users can then use the tool autonomously.
Click here to view the full presentation.
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Tags: Blogging, library, libraries, higheredblogcon
April 10th, 2006 at 12:19 pm
I wanted to say bravo for this presentation as well as the ongoing efforts you are doing in terms of blogs. My only question is whether the greater activity on the Circ log may also have to do with the ages of the participants? I am guessing the circ staff are younger, and more attuned to blogging? A wild guess, but I wondered what you thought.
As a former Alaska resident, it did my heart proud to see you this (and hello, too
doing such stellar work!
Kudos from John Iliff
April 10th, 2006 at 1:56 pm
Certainly that may be one of the reasons for the Circ participation, but the teaching assistants are early to late 20s. I hear from them that they appreciate the information posted on the English blog, and they point to it during the research process, but no one comments. The blog was created as a place to store information, so the lack of comments could be creator error–something for me to ponder over the summer months!
There has been some activity on the Reference blog but communication still remains in the hands of a select few. Having worked here for several years, and noticing that most of my colleagues have been here for longer, I’m curious if the lack of participation on this particular blog doesn’t reflect an organization that isn’t experiencing a great deal of change, so there’s little to communicate about. Reference vs. Circulation–much more change in activities happening in the Circ area.
April 10th, 2006 at 7:20 pm
A great way to promote team building through your blog, Natalie.
Circulation blog - a new and unique approach. As more students participate, more communication can result in sharing new ideas and comments. both Reference and Circulation blog can include training procedures on different topics that staff and student employees can access any time and therefore may reduce the need to repeat instruction and save time. Importantly, instructions will always be there as long as the blog is alive. I think to increase participation you may want consider a presentation during a brown bag session or talking about during informal meetings, etc.
Motivating staff and encouraging them to participate with innovative ideas can be fun as well. Jay
April 11th, 2006 at 1:39 pm
Hi. Another former Alaska resident, former Rasmuson librarian, and fellow BlogCon presenter chiming in. (Hi Natalie and Karen!)
Great presentation. I liked the honesty factor…hearing about what doesn’t work, or what you think isn’t working, is always beneficial to us in the library world.
I don’t think we should be so hard on ourselves regarding the “commenting” issue. Here in the Meriam Library we have blogs that are very similar to yours. People don’t comment to postings, and I don’t think that is a particularly negative thing…it just is.
If our expectation is that people are going to comment, there has to be some incentive for them to do so. The comment feature seems to be very popular on personal blogs (political, topical, etc.), but look at the audience. These blogs have the potential to have millions of readers. The people that read these blogs seek them out because they either speak to something that’s important to them, or they speak against something that’s important to them. They are motivated to comment because it’s the issue that’s important to them, not simply that it’s a ‘blog.’
Our [library] blogs are different. Our audience is very small. The blogs really are being used as a communication device. The comment feature is a nice “extra” but isn’t necearry for the blog to function at its basic level.
I think your blogs are great and that you should continue. You will find that, over time, they will be accepted as the de facto method of communication. You may also find serindipitous encounters/interactions/results from the blogs that you weren’t expecting!
Keep up the good work.
–Kris–