Effective Blogging for Libraries

Citation

MacRitchie, J. (2011), "Effective Blogging for Libraries", The Electronic Library, Vol. 29 No. 2, pp. 279-280. https://doi.org/10.1108/02640471111125249

Librarians new to blogging will find this book very helpful. It follows the established Tech Set template outlining the benefits of a particular Web 2.0 technology, showing the reader how to get started, and giving tips for the more advanced learner. Connie Crosby is an experienced blogger and has been able to distil her experience into an accessible manual, devoid of head‐spinning jargon.

Libraries have the opportunity to generate blogs with unique content – but should they? After all, there are plenty of blogs out there already. Crosby gives several compelling reasons why libraries need to be involved in blogging: blogs promote the library's identity, they form part of the library's PR strategy, they foster a sense of community, and so on. And of course blogging is a satisfying outlet for any frustrated would‐be writer‐librarians! Blogs allow libraries to have a conversation both with their users and with a wider readership, and they are a new way to extend our traditional services. At the same time, however, colleagues can be indifferent or hostile to the idea of blogging unless the benefits can be demonstrated to them. This is unfortunate, since Crosby posits that the best blogs are a team effort – it is a rare individual who can lay out, design and create content for a blog as well as promote it effectively. So there are several good suggestions here on measuring traffic to your blog and other ways of proving its worth.

Crosby gives examples of library blogs from around the world to illustrate best practice. Successful blogs update regularly, are found easily, and can be navigated readily. She is aware of the difficulties facing a newbie, and refers to that feeling of “being the only one on an empty dance floor”, until the comments start to come in. Comments create their own problems, and the author gives examples of comments policies, and suggestions for dealing with negative feedback and disruptive attacks. She considers whether to go with hosted or self‐hosted blogs, which platforms to consider (not just Blogger), and whether to use commercial or open‐source software. Advice is given on the design of your template, how to archive and tag, and how to copyright your blog.

Some thoughts on what to blog about are given, although there is no mention made of library local studies blogs. It is odd that they were overlooked, since they exemplify the sort of “mass amateurisation” at which the web excels; for example, in identifying faces in an old photograph. The best blogs seem to have a unique authorial voice, so consistency of tone is important. Crosby makes suggestions for increasing the traffic to your site, joining in the larger conversation of the “biblioblogosphere” (ugly word).

Most readers will find this book of value, although the companion wiki is under‐populated as yet. Happily, some libraries have made blog‐posting a job requirement. Crosby stresses that blogging should be fun: being paid to blog must be the icing on the cake.