Nov. 8, 2002
"A weblog (sometimes called a blog or a newspage or a filter) is a webpage where a weblogger (sometimes called a blogger, or a pre-surfer) 'logs' all the other webpages she finds interesting." - Jorn Barger (1999), Weblog Guru
In the past year, the popular media discovered weblogs, or "blogs"-blogs were even the topic of a recent Doonesbury comic strip series. Although a flurry of articles was published in 1999 as the phenomenon took off (noted in Barger, 1999), more articles in the mainstream media appeared in 2002, and with a generally more positive slant (see Geiser, 2002 and Lasica, 2002). Most of the articles present blogging as a new form of personal journalism or online, public journaling, with some trumpeting it as successor to existing media. Only in the past year have the first books been published, and scholarly articles have yet to appear. A look at the major weblog directories or a Google search reveals thousands of weblogs, some of which contain intriguing links on political, social, or other topics, but many of which are filled with the minutiae of their authors' lives. While news blogs are already part of many reference librarians' repertoires, should libraries and librarians create their own weblogs?
Long before Jorn Barger coined the term "weblog" in his Robot Wisdom website in Dec. 1997, Marc Andreesen (1993) began publishing Mosaic's What's New - the prototypical weblog containing a reverse chronological list of links and short annotations. The first entry for June 14, 1993, linked to an experimental preprint server at Los Alamos.
By 1997, the Web was gathering momentum and the number of pages available had grown dramatically. In the pre-Yahoo days, a number of users saw the growing need to sort through all the material on the Web so that they could share the most valuable and interesting links they came across. Dave Winer (2002) developed many of the conventions for later weblogs in his Scripting News in 1997 and incorporated them into the Frontier scripting environment that formed the basis of Userland's Radio [1] - one of the primary software packages currently in use.
Peter Merholz (2002) coined the term "blog" in early 1999. He announced that on a sidebar to his home page "I've decided to pronounce the word "weblog" as wee'- blog. Or "blog" for short." The term caught on, but Merholz comments that it would likely have died if not for the release of Pyra Lab's Blogger in summer 1999 (¶ 3).
Blogger and Pitas (launched in 2000) were, however, the applications that really launched the weblog. With ease of publishing (and low technical requirements), ordinary people could now create their own weblogs. While simple blog creation meant more sites filled with annotated links to resources and news, the easy-to-use software encouraged the trend toward personal diaries. "[J]ournals and weblogs come from very different places," comments Ozawa (2001, intro. ¶), "even though today they have collided … and are indistinguishable to the untrained eye. In short…a traditional weblog is focused outside the author and his or her site. A web journal, conversely, looks inward - the author's thoughts, experiences, and opinions".
Peter Scott (2001), creator of the widely respected Libdex, presented a widely accepted definition at the 2001 Internet Librarian conference: "a web page containing brief, chronologically arranged items of information" (Definitions) Similarly, Rebecca Blood (qtd. in Rogers, 2002) broadly defines a weblog as "a frequently updated Web site that is arranged in reverse chronological order" (Fad or phenomenon). Blood (2000) notes elsewhere that Brigette Eaton, creator of Eatonweb Portal, collected all the weblogs she could locate and her simple characteristic for inclusion - a site consisting of dated entries - greatly influenced later discussion (¶ 3).
Clyde (2002) points out that little agreement extends beyond the basic definition (What is a weblog?). Winer (2001) argues that Weblogs must be personal, rather than created by an organization. Under Winer's definition, a library weblog would only qualify as such if it were the product of an individual librarian, rather than the organization. He believes an institutional weblog "loses the essence - a personality that lets the quirky and individual nature of its creator come through, rather than being washed-out and normed-up" (Personal publishing communities)
A growing number of librarian-created weblogs exist that fit Winer's definition, but so do library-sponsored weblogs that fit the broader definition, originating from all types of libraries and in a variety of formats. Some weblogs are even collaborative efforts, yet they still follow the basic form.
Scott (2001) lists diaries, journals, links, and "what's new" pages as possible forms for weblogs. Clyde (2002) notes that weblogs can even contain portfolios of photos and embedded sound files. In short, weblogs can cover broad territory and be used for almost any purpose.
In the early days of blogging, creators had to know HTML and be comfortable with coding to maintain and update their weblogs. With the advent of Blogger, Pitas and Userland's Radio, much of the work is done with a click of the button, although its "documentation and procedures do assume at least a basic level of knowledge of FTP, web site structures, and technical terms." (Clyde, 2002, What is a weblog?). Crawford (2001observes, "Weblog software does make site updating much simpler and encourages the 'reverse diary' format through default operations" (p. 76)
Most of the basic programs are currently freeware and in addition to the commercial products, a variety of open-source weblog programs have been developed (the latter require more technical knowledge to install, though updating may be as straightforward). Some products, like Blogger and Pitas, above offer weblog hosting at no or low cost, similar to the GeoCities community websites; most (including Blogger) can be hosted anywhere, including the library's server. Crawford (2001) warns, "As with any free Web service or software, some choices disappear" (p. 75).
All the weblog programs come with one or more templates, which can be used as-is or customized. While libraries can use the default templates, some (with sufficient technical expertise) have chosen to customize the templates to match their own website design. The basic format can also be enhanced through a variety of free tools created users who have created and posted additional templates and a variety of add-on tools including calendars and scripts. One of the more hyped developments has been syndication in which content can be made available to other sites.
LibLog's Scott Bauer (personal communication, Oct. 5, 2002) estimates that creating an entry with Blogger - once one has the article to blog - takes about five minutes. Blogger includes a "bookmark bloglet" (essentially a javascript-in-the-form-of-a-bookmark, which opens a template with the link information for the entry already filled in) that requires only a few simple steps to create the entry. The second-most time consuming part (after finding the original article) is creating an annotation, says Bauer. "Usually we do this by cutting and pasting from the article a key sentence or two - we do try to keep fair use in mind!"
Weblogs, and in particular, library weblogs are listed in a number of resources. With an ever-growing number of weblogs produced, no list is complete, but a few in particular are good starting points. One weakness of many weblog directories is the lack of useful topical access; primary access through an alphabetical list by name. The general directory BlogHop, which lists thousands of weblogs, has a small number of topical divisions; the alpha directory is so large as to be useless, but a simple (single keyword) search is helpful. The Open Directory project, while far from providing a comprehensive list of blogs, is strong in several topical areas and provides more categorization than some other sources.
For library-related weblogs, the independent directories, Eatonweb Portal is a good starting point. Open Directory, noted above, includes a good listing of library- and librarian-related weblogs. Peter Scott's Libdex and Dr. Anne Clyde (University of Iceland)'s The Internet Course: Weblogs are both excellent sources for library-related weblog information. For general weblog directories, the above sites are also useful, as are the Yahoo and BlogHop directories. Some Weblog software/creation sites including Userland (Weblogs.Com) and Pitas maintain lists of sites hosted by or using their particular software.
Google and other general search engine queries can also provide access to a large number of weblogs, although careful keyword selection and use of advanced search features is advisable. Several weblog-oriented search services are available that may provide a narrower search. DayPop is currently the premier blog search engine, providing simple and advanced search interfaces to search through 7500 news sites and weblogs (although Clyde (2002) points out that even DayPop indexes only a fraction of the weblogs in existence and that Google searches may be more comprehensive (Weblog search engines and directories). NewsIsFree offers a news search (recent only) and news/weblog syndication service.
If weblog searches fail, Search Engine Watch's Chris Sherman (2001) recommends finding "a blog that interests you and see[ing] which other blogs the author links to" as an "informal way of assessing which blogs are worth your time" (penultimate story ¶.).
For searching current content within weblogs, general search engines may be of limited utility since content changes rapidly. Using the Google advanced search or search bar utility can, however, be effective ways to search within a weblog; most weblog software archives pages by date, locating specific information may otherwise be difficult without knowing when it appeared. Some weblog creators (particularly librarians) do provide subject access, but they are in the distinct minority. Curling (2001) expects topical indexes to become more common, even though "the pure log format doesn't lend itself to that kind of organization" (Weblog structure)
Thomsen (2002) asserts that "in libraries, blogs are most often used as a current awareness service, or way to call attention to interesting website, articles, etc. Librarians may create blogs to highlight news or resources or special interest to their patrons, or they may create them to share information with the professional community" (p. 76). They may also have personal reasons for creating weblogs. David Bigwood (personal communication, Oct. 9, 2002) decided to launch Catalogablog "to write daily. To learn some new computer skills. To have a place to post thing I might later want to refer back to." Jessamyn West (personal communication, Oct. 9, 2002) found the librarian.net available and "wanted to reach out to anyone who [was] interested in what she "was" into - libraries, librarian culture, anti-censorship, etc." Redwood City Public Library's Scott Bauer (personal communication, Oct. 5, 2002) began Liblog as "an attempt to keep library staff up-to-date on technology developments that might be affecting the library." Others, such as Sandra Clockedile (personal communication, Oct. 9, 2002), creator of the Wilton Library (Conn.) weblog, and Molly Williams (personal communication, Oct. 9, 2002), creator of the Waterboro (Me.) Public Library weblog (personal communication, Oct. 9, 2002), had an interest in weblogs and saw launching library-related weblogs as a way to learn about them. Bigwood and others saw open niches where their weblogs could provide information that was otherwise hard to locate.
Thomsen (2002) further comments, "Librarians are natural collectors and sharers, and blog software makes it easy for us to quickly post and share the interesting things we find. It gives us an easy way to respond quickly to current events, local news, curriculum-related reference, and keep our library websites fresh, current and useful. It also gives us a way to share news and information with other professionals, adding value to links through the art of selection and annotation" (p. 77).
As Hane (2001) writes, "Weblogs are a natural for librarians" (intro.) Librarians, and in particular, reference librarians often spend much of their time hunting down information. Through both the searching performed to answer reference questions and other incidental searching, librarians are both likely to come across interesting and useful websites, news items and ephemera, and be able to provide helpful brief descriptions. Many will also come across information in professional literature that they feel others might find useful. Weblogs, in their primary (pre-Blogger) form, mostly consist of annotated lists of links and many library weblogs fit this format. The focus is generally non-local, but it may cover a specific subject. Both LibLog (Redwood City PL) and Library Techlog focus on library technology. AcqWeblog focuses on acquisitions and collection development. Catalogablog surveys cataloging and metadata issues. NewPages Weblog provides an "online guide to alternative media." Both H2Oboro lib log and the Reader's Connection serve as readers' advisory services and cover literary news. The El Dorado County (Calif). Library's weblog is mostly a page of interesting links (with a prominent disclaimer about non-endorsement), but highlights both recommended sites and those with local information.
Others, like LISNews.com, broader and covering general library and information science issues. Marylaine Block's Neat New Stuff I Found on the Net This Week provides an eclectic listing of interesting and potential useful links found in the course of personal and professional use of the Web.
For any of the filter-style weblogs, postings generally consist of a headline (which is often the link to the described resource) and a one-paragraph description. Some, like LISNews.com, may also include pull-quotes or other material from the resource. Brevity is part of the form since the goal is less to provide commentary than to provide enough information for readers to decide for themselves the value of exploring the described resource.
Crego (2001) writes that as a "librarian surfs the Web, he can instantly post information concerning newly discovered Web sites to the log. Later, as time permits, this information can be transferred to sections of the intranet as official, categorized and organized 'links'" (Feeding and 'blogging'). Karen Schneider and the indexers for Librarians' Index to the Internet use the LII.org Possible Resources Weblog for just this purpose - not everything posted will be included in the LII listings, but the weblog provides a place to put provisional information for later use.
A few libraries, such as the Graduate Research Library of the Pacifica Graduate Institute, and the Glenview (Ill.) Public Library use weblogs to communicate library and community-specific information, as well as some broader library or literary news. Many weblogs are updated frequently with weekly archiving; Glenview's weblog, however, serves as a way to publish a monthly newsletter. For these libraries, the weblog software provides an easy way to update their "what's new" pages.
Although some weblogs may cover similar ground as e-zines and print journals or newsletters, they can supplement (though not supplant) these media through rapid publishing. Sherman (2001) calls weblogs "web's equivalent of a sophisticated early warning system" (intro.). Timely items, ephemera and information that may not fit in the stricter guidelines of other publications find a home in weblogs.
Listservs certainly fulfill a similar function as weblogs, but whereas listservs such as AUTOCAT and OLAC provide an informal forum for numerous members, a single person or small team typically produces weblog, which give them a slightly more formal (and often a more focused) structure than that of listservs. With the ability to comment on stories built into software, even collaborative weblogs such as usr/lib/info (which contains postings similar to those found on listservs), the threads of commentary are available for readers, but only on an as-needed basis - the reader need not delete unwanted emails or scroll past the postings in the digest. Likewise, most weblogs do not currently require subscriptions and any reader can check them as frequently or infrequently as they wish, as well as review archives.
Although few information literacy course weblogs have yet made it to the Web, Long (2002) observes that a small number of (mostly) higher education instructors are making use of weblogs to keep their students informed about projects, resources and tools, time changes, and other course information, as well student logs and portfolios. Daniel and Cox (2002, Edublogs for courses) note that Anne Clyde's Internet Courses (University of Iceland) make use of blogging as part of the course curriculum.
Particularly in larger organizations, weblogging may be useful in communication and knowledge management. Nichani and Rajamanickam (2001) argue that weblogs provide a useful tool for spreading knowledge throughout an organization (via an Intranet or accessible to the public); the software's archiving function makes later retrieval much easier than when the same information is passed by email (Organizational blogs). Bauer began LibLog as "an attempt to keep library staff up-to-date on technology developments that might be affecting the library. I was aware of some of the shortcomings of the email delivery of this information we had been using and was looking for other alternatives" (personal communication, Oct. 5, 2002).
Like the Web in general, weblogs are a way for people to connect with others based on interests. Weinberger (2002) comments, "On the Web, the community is defined by interest, not geography" (p. 104). This orientation, plus the ease of self-publishing promotes connections between the librarians with non-mainstream interests such as anarchism and social activism. A number of weblogs that arise from this impulse such as the Rockabilly Librarian of Honolulu and the Rogue Librarian tend toward the personal journal. Others are broader, but still try to set a tone reflecting the authors' interests. Jessamyn West (qtd. in Crawford, 2001) aims for a viewpoint that is "anti-filtering, pro-small libraries, pro-sex, anti-making-your-library-into-a-Barnes-and-Noble, anti-Amazon, pro-books" but will "link to anything interesting" and hopes that people come away with "new ideas about librarians" (p. 76).
In planning for library weblogs, a number of considerations should be made, beginning with assessing what weblogs can add to the library's website. Can they provide an easier way to carry out updates to existing areas? Are they a way of adding additional content? Budget (primarily for staff time) and means of evaluating success should also be examined.
The initial technology cost for launching a weblog can be minimal, presuming the library already has a website. Many good commercial products, such as Blogger, have a free version that will be adequate for most needs. A number of open-source products are also available at low or no cost. For text-based software such as weblogs, storage costs will be minimal, even if pages are archived weekly (the addition of graphics or sound files would, of course, increase server loads, particularly over time).
The real costs for producing weblogs is in staff time. If the information is already available on the library website or other formats, the weblog software's ease of use may slightly reduce the amount of staff time required. Conversely, if the information is currently unavailable, gathering information and writing commentaries/descriptions will require additional staff time. Among the librarians surveyed for this paper, the time required varied between nothing additional on a daily basis with half an hour monthly for a special feature (Wilton Library Weblog) to 3-5 hours (including searching) a week (Librarian.Net and Catalogablog). Bauer (personal communication, Oct. 5, 2002) points out that "finding entries that are worth blogging is time-consuming." He also calculates the annual cost for LibLog could be:
While most of the library-sponsored weblogs are created and maintained by regular staff, some, like the H2Oboro lib log, are volunteer efforts. Although the usual costs associated with library volunteers (such as oversight and length of commitment) may be present, the dollar cost will be low.
As for any program, the library weblog should be evaluated after a defined period of time to measure its effectiveness
As a means of looking at the promise of blogging technology for libraries, the Acterra Environmental Library & Resource Center (Palo Alto, Calif.) can serve as a useful example. The library is part of the environmental nonprofit Acterra: Action for a Sustainable Earth and contains:
"…one of the largest environmental lending libraries in the San Francisco Bay Area. The collection includes books, videos, periodicals, pamphlets and an extensive clipping file. Special collections include environmental impact statements, curriculum guides, trail guides and maps, environmental career resources, and information on wildlife and endangered species. The library provides reference service in person and by email, as well as program support for Acterra-sponsored and associated programs and organizations. One part-time librarian, a part-time assistant librarian, and a team of volunteers staff the library" (Acterra, 2001, Programs).
Yes. Weblog(s) could help the library in its role "as a cornerstone of environmental concern, activism, stewardship and enjoyment by providing organized access to environmental information and by facilitating the sharing of that information." They could also help meet the goals of:
Depending on who was responsible for weblog creation/updating, weblogs would, however, potentially conflict with another goal: Sufficient staffing to allow for excellent and efficient service to patrons. Current staffing levels would likely not allow the additional burden of maintaining weblogs without cutting back on other services, even if items were added during the normal course of work. The library already relies heavily on volunteers for much of its work; weblogs would likely be no exception - either directly or by shifting some other tasks to volunteers.
Of the five areas listed above, the Book Nook and Resource Sheet enhancements and addition of a Bay Area environmental issues weblog would most closely fit the library's mission and goals. Providing library news would be the least important. By providing more timely and updated information, the library's website (and potentially the physical library) could attract more visitors.
Walt Crawford (2002) posed the question, "What would you do with 150,000 library-related or librarian-related Weblogs?" in response to Dave Winer's idea that everyone should be blogging (presumably with personal, rather than institutional weblogs) Although Blake Carver, publisher of LISNews.com, responded by arguing for the collaborative promise of weblogs - the combined reporting and insight from all those librarians could help keep the profession going, Crawford, like a few other writers, is wary of the noise and lack of focus that would come with many more library weblogs. Even Carver acknowledges that without a way to combine, filter and process all the sites, the good ones will be lost (p. 2).
The number of niches may be limited - only so many interesting links to librarian humor, anarchist library news, and cataloging are likely to exist, and existing listservs do a good job of distributing knowledge, but individual libraries still have unique needs that weblogs can fit, from local library news to information tailored to their specific clientele.
Marylaine Block (qtd. in Davis, 2002, pt. 2, Okay, what is this blogging business) writes, "Blogs and listservs as helping to solve one of the problems our machines create for us, the running as fast as you can to stay in one place phenomenon. It's such an elegant mechanism for librarians to help each other identify what's worth learning and help them learn it."
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