Blogging @ NSUBA Library

Using Blogs to Instruct and Communicate Within & Beyond

Our first blog: NSUBA Library Blog

A little bit about our blog: Started as a SLIS student project Linked from our home page Goal: to provide information to our

patrons and others in the community Now has five authors – have met to plan

the ‘future’ of the blog Challenges: what do we blog about? Most popular posts are flags @ half staff

Another look:

Our sidebar provides a search function, library tips, RSS feed option, library photos…

Sidebar cont.:

…general information, links to blogs, websites…

Sidebar cont.:

…more blogs and helpful educational links!

Our internal blog: Librariantics

About this blog: Met a need for communication internally Desktop shortcut from circ computers

(private blog – log in with generic or personal email)

Goal: to inform staff without cluttering email boxes (auto archived, searchable)

Challenges: notification problems Desk shift conflicts, student worker issues,

general U info, technology solutions, project discussions

Instruction Blog: Library Suvivor

Details: Came from an idea to teach IL in game

format – still a work in progress Allows students to ‘complete’ library tasks

that are place as challenges in the blog post

It’s interactive: Students record their ‘answers’ or results as comments

Links to a wiki that provides info, images, tutorials about library resources

Lessons learned: I used to think: I don’t have time for

another ‘thing’ Now I think: How can this ‘thing’ help

improve our library services? Make the technology work for you – if it

doesn’t work for you, don’t force it