1. Blogs & RSS: What they can mean to your library Michael Sauers, Internet Trainer, BCR CO SLA, 3 rd November 2004

2. What is a blog? A blog, short for weblog (pronounced we blog,) is an online journal in which the postings are presented in reverse- chronological order. Typically blogs contain links to other online resources with additional commentary from the blogs author.

3. Why should your library have a blog? Theyre an easy way to provide information about whats happening in your library. Little to no (X)HTML experience necessary. Combined with RSS feeds its another way for patrons to receive timely information about the library.

4. How do I create a blog? There are several services and software packages out there that make creating a blog easy. The two most popular are: MoveableType (client) http://www.movabletype.org/ Blogger (Web service) http://www.blogger.com/

5. Blogger

6. What is RSS? Depending on who you ask it stands for either Really Simple Syndication, Rich Site Summary, or RDF Site Summary. RSS is an XML language for syndicating news items on the Internet.

7. How does RSS work? The author creates an RSS file. Users subscribe to the file via an aggregator. When the author updates the RSS file, the user is automatically notified of the new items and may read them on their schedule.

8. Are there different versions of RSS? Yes. In fact, there are currently nine different versions: RSS 0.90, 0.91, 0.92, 0.93, 0.94, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 & Atom Feeds Each has different features from the authors point of view. Todays aggregators support all of the versions transparently.

9. What does RSS look like? BCR: The Third Indicator http://www.bcr.org/publications/thirdind/ The Third Indicator, published monthly, is a technical memo focusing on OCLC products and services. It includes general OCLC news as well as detailed technical information on cataloging, reference and resource sharing. Announcements of new OCLC developments are also included. Tue, 21 Sep 2004 21:37:39 GMT ListGarden Program 1.01 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss WorldCat Resource Sharing Training http://www.bcr.org/publications/thirdind/2004/august/augsharetrain04.htm l If you'd like to see what WorldCat Resource Sharing looks like and learn more about it, visit the OCLC Web site at www.oclc.org/ill/migration/ or view the WorldCat Resource Sharing tutorial at www5.oclc.org/downloads/tutorials/firstsearch/sv/rsbasics/intro/index.html /. Tue, 21 Sep 2004 19:29:47 GMT thirdind-2004-08-21-19-29-47

10. What is an aggregator? A news aggregator is a software or a remotely hosted service that periodically reads a set of news sources, in one of several XML-based formats, finds the new bits, and displays them in reverse- chronological order on a single page. Wikipedia Its what you need to read RSS feeds.

11. What are the different types of aggregators? Standalone Clients FeedReader, Radio UserLand PIM add-ins Pluck, NewsGator, intraVnews Browser add-ins Firefox 1.0PR, Sage Web-based Bloglines, NewsIsFree A list is available @ http://www.lights.com/weblogs/rss.html

12. FeedReader

13. Pluck

14. Firefox 1.0PR

15. Bloglines

16. How can I find feeds? Feedster Bloglines Blogrolls A list of blogs/feeds read by another blogger

17. How do I subscribe to a feed? Look for an orange icon: Depending on your aggregator, the subscription procedure may range from copying and pasting the link to right- clicking and selecting subscribe.

18. How do I create a feed? Hand-rolled You type the markup and the content Semi-automated You type the content, software generates the markup. (ListGarden) Fully-automated You put the content in your blog and software generates a feed based on that content. (RSSify @ LISFeeds.com)

19. ListGarden

20. Notable library blogs & feeds Librarian.net www.librarian.net Librarians Rant lblog.jalcorn.net LISNews www.lisnews.com The Shifted Librarian www.theshiftedlibrarian. com Travelin Librarian travelinlibrarian.blogspo t.com Unshelved www.overduemedia.com Free Range Librarian freerangelibrarian.com Crime in the Library crimeinthelibrary.blogsp ot.com Tame the Web www.tametheweb.com/tt wblog LibraryTechtonics www.librarytechtonics.in fo