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Web Feeds for Enhanced Library Services Gerry Mckiernan Iowa State University, [email protected]

Web Feeds for Enhanced Library Services Gerry Mckiernan Iowa State University, Gerrymck@Iastate.Edu

Reference and Instruction Publications and Papers Reference and Instruction

1-2005 This Just In: Web Feeds for Enhanced Library Services Gerry McKiernan Iowa State University, [email protected]

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Disciplines Library and Information Science

Comments Originally published in Knowledge Quest, 33, no. 3 (January/February 2005).

This article is available at Iowa State University Digital Repository: http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/refinst_pubs/4 Library Media Programs feature in a Web-Wise World

visit This Just In on the Web Feeds for Enhanced Library Services KQWEB A full-text, hyperlinked Gerry McKiernan version of this article is available on the KQWeb at [email protected] www.ala.org/aasl/kqweb

Here a , there a blog, everywhere tary, middle, and high schools have created a blog. to promote local events and classroom activities. Students at the Randolph Elementary School in It seems that every journal, , maga- Arlington, Virginia, publish their poetry on a zine, and Web site is highlighting weblogs. classroom blog. The Meriwether Lewis Elementary School in Portland, Oregon, uses a 38 In the first half of 2004 alone, dozens of stories have appeared about blogs: Time invited read- blog format for its homepage to provide school ers to “Meet Joe Blog,” Library Journal profiled news and links to related information, and at the the free UThink blog service recently initiated by Hangleton Community Junior School in Hove, the University of Minnesota Library, and PC East Sussex, England , teachers and service from AudioBlog.1 The New York Times students have developed a variety of blogs. Will Knowledge Quest 33/Number 3 • January/February 2005 Volume reported on the proliferation of blog use by Richardson, supervisor of instructional technol- teenagers and blog addiction.2 Perhaps most ogy and at Hunterdon Central telling was the extensive coverage on the use of Regional High School (HCRHS) in Flemington, New Jersey, and self-described “blogvangelist,” Gerry McKiernan is a blogs by presidential candidates in, for exam- ple, National Journal. Equally striking is the provides a blog that offers not only regular news Science and Technology extensive use of blogs by the media themselves for 1 at HCRHS but also links to class Librarian and as an “emerging alternative” to reporting and a information and notes, journalism sites and Bibliographer at Iowa State “new source of news.” resources, and major media Web sites. University, Ames, with As defined by the Wikipedia, a weblog (or simply a blog) is “a which contains Library Blogs specialization in selected periodic, reverse chronologically ordered posts The use of blogs is not limited, however, to fields of engineering. He on a common Web page. The format of weblogs school news and class assignments. An increas- has also served as the varies, from simple bullet lists of hyperlinks, to ing number of libraries at educational institu- Museum Librarian of the article summaries with user-provided comments tions have created blogs to promote a wide and ratings. Individual weblog entries are range of services and collections. The HCRHS Carnegie Museum of almost always date and time-stamped, with the blog, for example, includes brief news items for Natural History in newest post at the top of the page.”3 recent and future library events as well as links Pittsburgh, Pa., and as an to research guides, recommended Web sites, School Blogs Assistant Librarian with and profiles of new books. In Illinois, the While politicians, reporters, and teenagers have Suburban Library System uses a blog format to the Library of the New York recognized blogs as an effective mechanism for provide news to its membership of several Botanical Garden in the disseminating personal, institutional, or organi- dozen academic, public, school, and special Bronx, New York. zational news, an increasing number of elemen- libraries.4 Knowledge Quest Volume 33/Number 3 • January/February 2005 39 . In addition, Wall Street Wall the Washington Post Washington New York Times, New York and the feed

tech/directory/5/aggregators> 0107846/stories/2002/10/03/ blogSoftware.html> web feeds , central.hcrhs.k12.nj.us/imc> , weblogs.hcrhs.k12.nj.us/journ1> index.shtml?links.html>,

Blog Resources Aggregators AudioBlog Blogging software Chicago Multitype Library System Edmonton (Canada) Public Library web feed FeedDemon FeedReader Hangleton Community Junior School Hong Kong University of Science and Hunterdon Central Library blog, Lunar and Planetary Institute library

by Google. free or fee-based blogging service now owned the most common blogging tools is Blogger, a tools is Blogger, the most common blogging Manila, MoveableType, and TypePad. One of and TypePad. Manila, MoveableType, blogging tools or services are LiveJournal, blogging tools or services those of a blog. Among the more common those of a blog. Among have features and functionalities similar to have features and functionalities services, or they may design Web pages that Web services, or they may design libraries use specialized software or blog libraries use specialized To create blogs, individuals, organizations, and create blogs, individuals, organizations, To Blogging Software Library Media Programs in a Web-Wise World

John Kerry for President many libraries with blogs. The HCRHS central for its library and instruction program page, also offer web feeds. The availability of a web library not only offers offer a web feed for while the University of Tennessee (UT) libraries feed for a site is indicated by one of more announcements and news, but students enrolled offer a feed for Alpha Channel, a “guide to button icons, which are usually found near the in Journalism 1 at the school can also subscribe library multimedia services for the UT teaching top, bottom, or side of a page. A web feed also to an associated feed for course updates. & learning community.” In the arena of refer- may be noted with a hotlinked word or phrase, ence services, Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, such as “Syndicate” or “Syndicate This Page.” Enhanced Services includes a feed for its business blog as well as Some libraries have also recognized the poten- one for its general reference service. The News Aggregators and Feed tial of feeds for enhancing conventional library Moraine Valley (Ill.) Community College library Readers functions or services. For example, in addition provides a feed for resources and search tips One of the more common methods by which to providing resource guides in HTML that profiles key print, electronic, and Internet news feeds are read is through use of a news (or other formats), some libraries provide resources, and the University of Winnipeg aggregator, or reader. As defined by David feeds for their Internet resource guides, such as Library and Information Services department Winer, a developer of original and current web that made by the Minneapolis Public Library for offers a feed with descriptions of major refer- feed formats (scriptingNews, RSS 0.92, and RSS The List, its compendium of Web resources. A ence sources. 2.0), a “” is “software that number of libraries provide web feeds that periodically reads a set of news sources, in one notify subscribers of new acquisitions, including Potential Possibilities of several XML-based formats, finds the new books, CDs, and videos. Libraries that offer Other library functions and services could also bits, and displays them in reverse-chronological such services include the Hong Kong University be enhanced through a broader application and order on a single page.”5 AmphetaDesk, of Science and Technology, the National implementation of web feeds. The review of 40 Bloglines, FeedDemon, FeedReader, University of Ireland library in Galway, and the newly published and forthcoming titles by NetNewsWire, NewsDesk, NewsIsFree, Radio University of Louisville Libraries. Feeds for selectors and bibliographers could be signifi- UserLand, and SharpReader are among the newly added videos have also been created from cantly expedited if publishers and book vendors popular free or fee-based aggregators for news records available from the online catalog of the provided feeds for individual titles and disci- feeds. With the incorporation of a Edmonton Public Library in Canada. The State plines.7 If electronic journals syndicated their in Apple’s forthcoming Safari RSS , of Hawaii, Legislative Reference Bureau, selects content, users could choose to receive desktop one can anticipate similar enhancements in feeds for agency reports and recent acquisi- notification for all potentially relevant articles by Knowledge Questother Web 33/Number 3 • January/February 2005 Volume browsers, and an associated increase tions, while the library of the Lunar and journal title or discipline.8 Ideally, such services in the use and application of feeds. Planetary Institute in Houston, Texas, offers a would also allow subscribers to receive person- Feeds need not be limited to news or feed that includes recent additions to the collec- alized feeds based on a saved search strategy. accessible from news aggregators. Using many tion as well as new and noteworthy items. Likewise, the assessment, use, and integration of these readers, as well as others (such as of search results could be significantly Pluck) individuals can subscribe to web feeds E-Journals and Table of improved if database and OPAC vendors offered of interest to create a customized, personal Contents Services a web feed option. portal. Depending on the particular reader, Feeds for new acquisitions are not limited to As observed by Roddy MacLeod, senior users can subscribe to select web feeds in a books, other monograph works, or media. For subject librarian at Heriot-Watt University, Edin- couple of ways: by double clicking the RSS feed example, Hawaii’s Legislative Reference Bureau burgh, Scotland, “there are several practical ways option; or by clicking and copying the URL from supplies a feed of citations for select professional in which the LIS community can both exploit the the displayed page and pasting the associated journal articles in addition to feeds for institu- content of RSS, and improve their services address into the reader. Some readers also tional publications, while the library of the Royal through the presentation and re-presentation of allow users to subscribe to a web feed by simply Holloway, University of London, offers feeds for RSS feeds. These do not amount to a revolution, dragging and dropping the associated web feed all recently received journal issues and feeds for but rather represent a step on the path to better icon into the reader. individual titles. OhioLINK, the statewide consor- information services, and one which takes advan- tium, provides feeds for all journals available tage of advances in technology.”9 z School and Library Web from its Electronic Journal Center. Feeds References and Notes The current major use of web feeds by schools Instruction and Reference 1. Lev Grossman, “Meet Joe Blog: Why Are and libraries is to alert subscribers to current Several libraries have begun to use web feeds to More and More People Getting their News activities.6 For example, the Suburban Library promote instructional and reference services. from Amateur Web Sites Called Blogs? System features a web feed on its site, as do The University of Alberta library added a feed Because They’re Fast, Funny, and Totally Knowledge Quest Volume 33/Number 3 • January/February 2005 41 no. Ariadne Knowledge 128, no. 9 Multimedia , Nov. 4, 2003, , Nov. 11, no. 1 (Jan/Feb. Accessed 11 July 2004. blogs-rss-sla.pdf>. . Library Journal 31 no. 5 (May/June 2003): 50–51. RSS.” Powerpoint presentation delivered at RSS.” Powerpoint presentation Internet Librarian 2003 Monterey, Monterey Convention Center, Calif., . Accessed Than Just Some File Formats.” 35 (Mar./Apr. 2003), . Accessed of Powerful New It?’ and ‘How To’ ‘What’s for Educators.” Tools Web and Internet@Schools 2004): 10–13. Also available online at Accessed 11 July 2004. Culture a Fad or the Future?” Quest Also available online at . Accessed 23 July 2004. Educators,”. Accessed 11 August 2004). How to Make It, How to Use It,” . Accessed 11 July 2004. Using RSS.” (May 15, 2003): 30. Also available online at . Accessed 11 July 2004. Blogs & RSS.” Presentation delivered at a meeting of the Georgia Chapter of the Special Libraries Association, May 11, 2004, Georgia State University Library, Atlanta, . Accessed 2004. Librarians.” Guide.” (Dec. 2002): 6–8, 10. Also available online at . Accessed 11 July 2004. Can Use Guide to How Teacher-Librarians to Build Communications and Weblogs Rseaerch Skills.” Also available online at Also available online at . Accessed 11 July 2004. no. 2 (Dec. 2002): 7–9. Can Use it, and Finding RSS RSS, How You Feeds,” . Accessed 11 July 2004. Services,” . Accessed 11 July 2004 Libraries 2004, D.C., Washington, Washington, . Accessed 11 July 2004. Information and Knowledge Exchange with 2004): 52-55. Services.” Library’s Promote Your Marketing Library Services 2003): 1–4. Also available (Nov./Dec. online at . Preconference workshop PowerPoint presentation delivered at Cohen, Steven M. “RSS for Non-Technie Cohen, Steven M. “RSS ———. “Using RSS: An Explanation and Blog: A Blog, We Theresa Ross. “You Embrey, ———. “Weblogs and Blogging, Part II.” and Blogging, ———. “Weblogs Fagan, Michael. “All About RSS: Explanation of Darlene. “Using RSS to Create New Fichter, Levine, Jenny, and Steven M. Cohen. “Increasing Levine, Jenny, ———. “Why and How to Use Blogs to “Unleashing the Power of RSS.” Levine, Jenny. , 2004, 26 no. 2 (Jan. 11, New York , 2004, eFeeds(sm): Web Feeds eFeeds(sm): Web B-Feeds(sm): Web RSS(sm): Rich Site no. 161 (June 2004): 163, no. 25 (June 21, no. 111 (May 2, 2002): 9–11. Oct. 8, 2002

10. Also available online at . Accessed 11 July 2004. Feeds.” Biased,” Free Pint (winter 2004): 1, 14–16. Also available online at . Accessed 11 July 2004. Action,” from Electronic Journals . Accessed 11 July 2004. Feeds for Books and Monographs . Accessed 11 July 2004. Services Accessed 11 ~CYBERSTACKS/RSS.htm>. July 2004. 2004): 32–37. Katie Hafner, “For Some, 2004): 32–37. Katie Hafner, the Blogging Never Stops,” Davenet, System merged with the Chicago Multitype Library System to become the Metropolitan Library System. davenet.scripting.com/2002/10/08/ whatIsANewsAggregator>. Accessed 21 2004. Nov. New York Times Magazine Times New York Times Accessed en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weblog>. 2004. 21 Nov. 2004): 64–66, 69–70.

Baumgart, Jessica. “An Introduction to RSS Suggested Readings Clyde, Laurel A. “Weblogs and Blogging, Part I.” Clyde, Laurel A. “Weblogs

9. Roddy MacLeod, “RSS: Less Hype, More 8. Gerry McKiernan,

7. Gerry McKiernan, 5. “What Is a News Aggregator?” , 6. Gerry McKiernan, 4. As of July 1, 2004, the Suburban Library 3.

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