The first blog, In the Library with the Lead Pipe, takes on a professional style since it deals with deep content and actual issues in the library world. The entries are lengthy and resemble an article style of writing. There is a team of authors behind the blog, and all the entries are peer-reviewed.
In contrast, The Librarian’s Commute is a more personal blog following the thoughts and experiences of an academic librarian on the job. The entries are of different lengths and contain stories and interesting insights about happenings at her particular library. The photos add a visual aspect to the blog that makes it fun to read.
The Distance Librarian is written by a systems librarian, and his entries are short and to the point. He incorporates occasional stories, but the main focus of his entries is on technologies and their purpose in the library. This topic does not interest me directly, but for those who enjoy incorporating this type of technology into the library setting, this blog might be great to keep up with.
Taking on a more general appeal, in Library By Day, Bobbi L. Newman has developed a blog that reaches a wider audience. The entries are short to medium length, and they address different issues and topics of interest in the library world. Many librarians may feel that they can relate to this blog and actually have a purpose for reading it on a regular basis.
Similarly, the David Lee King blog tries to relate to a wider audience in the library field, although the focus is more on social media. The blog appears to take on a teaching platform, and in an effort to be useful to readers, some posts offer practical tips and instructions on different topics.
When examining my preferences for blog posts, I realized that I like entries that tell a story and relate to a personal topic of interest or that appeal to me emotionally. I am not drawn to reading long, technical descriptions, but if a post is short, catchy, and contains real and transparent thoughts and emotions, I might read it no matter what the topic is. I really enjoyed the blog, “My Story About Telling Stories” in this week’s readings. The examples the author included reflected my thoughts on blogging, and writing posts in story form or as a personal account is much more appealing than a formal entry on a topic.
After looking at blogging appeal, I went on to subscribe to three more blogs this week. I first subscribed to the blog Smithsonian Libraries. This blog compiles various interesting facts and happenings from the Smithsonian Institution Libraries, which claims to be the biggest museum library system in the world. Special museum items are sometimes featured on the blog, as well as newly acquired materials related to specific museums, discussion of special displays, and more.
The second blog I subscribed to was ReadWriteWeb. This blog is not directly library related, but it deals with many of the new technology devices and digital applications that come out on a regular basis. It often provides an overview of the digital tool and tells what a consumer can use it for.
Finally, I subscribed to Genre X, which is primarily a book discussion blog connected with the Oak Park Public library. It provides additional information about events the group is a part of and about books the discussion group is reading.
As is seen in these different examples, library blogs have many purposes and contain a wide range of topics. I think there are various aspects that make a library blog successful, but some key factors are regular updates, a certain amount of transparency, and a comfortable tone where the author is being truthful and real. Telling stories also makes a blog more appealing, and it creates an avenue for the readers to relate to the author. A “voice” that reflects personality will draw people’s attention, and incorporating multimedia links or tools will attract readers who thrive on interaction. I think that including these ideas and qualities into a library blog will aid in its success and build a more solid readership.
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