This blog is a sampling of some  Readers’ Advisory Blogs in Public Libraries. The blogs featured in these postings are among the best I found available at this time. I started searching for Public Library Readers’ Advisory Blogs simply using google searches. I was looking for richness, quickly skipping over blogs claiming to be Readers’ Advisory blogs but looking more like announcement bulletin boards. When a library divided their fiction blogs into genres I defaulted to the general fiction blog for consistency.

Some advantages of using Readers’ Advisory blogs from a user perspective is that they can visit many different blogs for ideas and even subscribe to RSS feeds. It is very convenient for the user to select a book from a library blog where they hold a library card because in most blogs the user can simply click on the featured item which takes them to the  library catalogue holdings page of that item and the user can put it on reserve / request immediately. Once the blog format becomes more familiar users may realize the potential of the blog as a communication tool and contribute more.

Advantages of a Readers’ Advisory blog from the perspective of public libraries is that the work load can be distributed. Many different people can contribute to keeping the blog regularly updated and/or librarians can work as a team to keep it fresh and varied. The blog also has the potential to reach many people by users visiting the library website and subscribing to the RSS feed. The blog offers the library another opportunity to feature library material and services

Readers’ Advisory Blogs in Public libraries have not yet reached their full potential for user input and feedback and conversation as is the purpose of this Web 2.0 tool.   In searching around public library blogs in general in order to find RA blogs, I found that there were more book conversations happening within book club blogs rather than RA blogs so far. Still there is evidence that public libraries intend to use the RA blogs as a Web 2.0 tool because they are reaching beyond the presentation point by encouraging user comments,  feedback, and participation and they are offering directions and instructions to the users in order to accomplish this goal.

Given the relatively narrow scope of  Adult fiction Readers’ Advisory Blogs in Public Libraries in Canada and the United States, it is amazing and impressive that the blogs in this selection were all unique and all worth visiting.

The New Fall Reads Blog  featurs new book titles with brief descriptions of newly acquired library material. The selection information is taken from the publishers descriptions. The list includes a variety of genres.  Once the user has decided on a book they simply click on the selection and they are taken to the item in the library catalogue.  This blog is updated weekly. Users are invited to contribute comments. Unfortunately, there does not appear to be any comments and/or contributions to complement the library’s selection.

It appears that the WPL is interested in developing blogs as a pure Web 2.0 tool. The WPL blog page offers a link to Blogging Tips. This ‘tips” page defines a blog and offers very detailed instructions on how the user can contribute a comment. The existence of this instructional page demonstrates that the library is interested in user participation. 
 
On the New Fall Reads blog page the Waterloo Publlic Library supports links to other reading resources. One very relevant link is to a Readers’ Advisory Blog, The Reader’s Advisor Online. This is a subscription database from Libraries Unlimited, a member of the Greenwood publishing group.  For free / no charge access to The Reader’s Advisor Online blog the user must access it through the public library website.

One interesting feature of the Reader’s Advisor Online is that it features a Reader’s Adisory Tips series offering users information about how they can keep a log of titles they have read and want to read and develop a self directed Readers’ Advisory for themselves. This “tips” section also offers users suggestions of other sites and blogs of interest to visit.

The Waterloo Public Library’s New Fall Reads blog is a useful tool for the library’s patrons. It is easy to use and the additional  readers resources complement the blog. As with all the RA blogs examined, the RA blogs would be beneficial for both the library and the users if there was more user participation and conversation.

The MGPL By the Book blog is worth visiting but you do need to know where to look. The blog is not obvious from the library homepage to a first time user. The user needs to know that you access the blog from the Reader’s Corner. The Reader’s Corner page of the MGPL website offers many great resources to complement a users search such as access to lists of new library material and websites for book lovers.

 The By the Book blog is worth visiting because of the quality of its content. The content is packaged more in themes rather than individual book selections.  For example,  On November 4th 2008, Michael Crichton died and the next day the By the Book Blog featured the author and some of his most popular and famous books. On November 21st 2008, the By the Book Blog featured the National Book Award winners announced November 19th 2008.

Although this blog is not updated on a predictable schedule such as daily or weekly, it is updated regularly enough and with a substantial amount of quality material and reading suggestion to make it worth visiting and/or signing up for the RSS feeds.

As a sampling, I choose the fiction Readers’ Advisory blog which links to Fiction Files: The best in recreational reading. The books featured here are categorized by one or more options such as simply staff picks or thrillers or bestsellers or historical fiction, whatever is appropriate. Each selected title is accompanied with a detail book description and reasons why the book was chosen. The staff members writing the descriptions have pen names, Mad Hatter, the Rogue Reader, the Library Dragon. Patrons would enjoy using this blog.

In addition to using the blog to provide readers with good recreational reading, the blog provides users with interesting fiction related features. The most recent such posting was a list, NY Times: 100 Notable Books of 2008. There are postings on the blog linked to author interviews and book signings and other recreational reading related events. One such event was a lecture presented about the author, Stephen King, by Nicholas Ruddick, a University of Regina professor.

The blog is also used to inform and/or remind users about the possibility of subscribing to XML or RSS feeds. The announcement offers instructions and a “simple video” to demonstrate subscribing. 

There is clearly a space for the user to comment on any of the announcements and/or reading selections but I did not see evidence of user participation. The Regina Public Library, fiction Readers’ Advisory, is doing a great job at presenting the information to the readers and offering convenience in receiving the information but does not appear to have completed the communication circle by getting user participation that is the potential of this Web 2.0 tool.

Calgary Public Library

The Calgary Public Library (CPL) has a Readers’ Advisory Blog called Reader’s Nook. I chose to talk about this blog because it does not seem to be used to the extent that other RA blogs are in other libraries.

What I found so fascinating about this blog was how difficult it was to find. There is no obvious or otherwise link to the Reader’s Nook from the library’s home page. I found the blog by a google search the first time and then when I went to try to find it to create a link it was no where to be found from the website. I had to use the CPL website search tool typing in blog and it appeared. Ok this is how you can find Reader’s Nook form the CPL home page…select Branches and Hours, then select connect with, then scroll to the very bottom and select Reader’s Nook.

There are many Calgary Public Library Blogs featured on the Blob page which pops up once you select the ‘connect with’ option which is probably why I decided to include this library in my blog. 

I am giving you the link again, Reader’s Nook. The blog features some great categories such as Award Winners, Rootin’ Tootin’ Reads for Men, Staff picks with archives, The Appeal of Real (non-fiction) and more as well as many best seller booklists. The selection looks worth browsing and there is something for just about everyone.

Note that the selections are simply presented and not reviewed.  The blog offers a space for comments but it does not seem to be used.

The Calgary Public Library offers the Reader’s Nook blog as a RSS feed.

The Calgary Public Library Readers’ Advisory Blog, Reader’s Nook is established but it is not reaching its full potential. It does not perform in the true Web 2.0  fashion as blogs are intended because there is not an active back and forth participation between the library and the readers. The discussion is missing.

Shelf Talk is a Readers’ Advisory blog that includes fiction from all genres,  non-fiction and media. The featured items are Seattle Public Library Staff picked although readers/participants may make suggestions.

The Shelf Talk blog is not located on the front page and does requirer a user to understand some library terminology. The blogs are accessable through  the Reader’s Corner hyperlink under the Browse heading.

The blog hosts a useful right column of links that would be of interest to may of the library users and website users and blog users.

A particularly helpful feature of this blog is that it offers very explicit instructions on how to subscribe to the RSS blog feeds. Even I could do it.

Note: changes to Shelf Talk. Upon checking my blog information and links, I noticed that Shelf Talk had made some changes. The Settle Public Library used the Shelf Talk blog space to offer the users updates and changes to the Library’s collection catalogue.

As mentioned in Neal Wyatt’s article “Taking The RA Talk Online”, Williamsburg Regional Library (WRL) system in Virginia was one of the first libraries to offer RA services online so I decided to explore this Readers’ Advisory blog first.

The http://www.wrl.org/

The Williamsburg Regional Library’s Readers’ Advisory blog is called, Blogging for a Good Book (bfgb).
The blog motto is…“A suggestion a day from the Williamsburg Regional Library”.
This blog is supported on wordpress.com as is this blog.
http://bfgb.wordpress.com/

The WRL bfgb blog is very easy to use as it is accessible from the Library’s front page.

 The bfgb blog is updated every day as it features a different staff choice each day, Monday to Friday. The blog also supports an extensive archive of past choices organized by genre and or subject categories. For example a user may select mysteries for a bfgb suggestion. The subject categories also include music and movies audio books etc.

Once you make a selection, there is a link to the Williamsburg Regional Library catalogue to check the availability of the item and/or place yourself in the hold que if necessary.

Another excellent feature of the Readers’ Advisory blog is that it has RSS Subscription service. An RSS subscription allows a user to receive the new information added to the blog each time it is updated. In this case, the registered user would receive the new bfgb suggestion each day. This is a great service because it saves the user from seeking out the blog regularly and it allows the library to display the collection to an audience daily.

In the true nature of  web 2.0 technology the users are invited to participate in the library’s blog. The blog offers the readers/users an opportunity to leave a reply and make comments and suggestions. The blog also features a search tool for the user to customize their user needs.

This blog has been created by Heidi Henkenhaf for the course, Foundations of Information Technology (LIBR 500) at the University Of British Columbia’s  School of Library, Archival and Information Studies.

Purpose

The purpose of this blog is to explore and evaluate the effectiveness of  Adult Readers’ Advisory blogs created and used by public libraries in Canada and the United States.

Why

I came across the idea for this blog while reading Wyatt, Neal. (2008) “Take The RA Talk Online” in Library Journal. (Volume 133, No. 3) February 15, 2008.

http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6529404.html?q=take+the+Ra+talk+online

Evaluation

Emily Tufts created MetaBLOG: A blog about library blogs within which she assesses the value of Library blogs and determines the characteristics that make them beneficial and usable.