Library Cataloging
Web logs, what are they good for? Steven M. Cohen recently addressed the issue of why we write them, but why do we read them? In what instances do they work?Here are my views. First, they are one-to-many or a few-to-many format. Topics that require give and take, a conversation, would not work well on a 'blog. A message board, Wiki, phone or other method would be a better method if discussion was required. The tag boards and comments features are not enough to carry on a discussion. Everyone is a broadcaster on a Web log.'Blog items are arranged in a chronological order. That is a valid method of accessing information in some circumstances. We have accession books (or used to) and chronologies in our collections. However, much information requires a different structure and presentation. Some 'blogs do have categories; The Shifted Librarian has posts by categories. That is not how we approach the site, that is an added tool. A text with an index is not an index. A book that arranged words by the date of usage would be interesting but not much use as a dictionary.Web logs are on the Web. Reading a screen is not conducive to long passages. I'm currently working my way through The Nature of a Work by Richard P. Smiraglia. I would not read that as a Web page. It challenges me as a book, if I had the additional challenge of reading on a screen, it would be totally beyond me. The Web does provide the benefit of adding links and most 'blogs take advantage of that.So 'blogs are useful to communicate short items presented in a chronological order, from one-to-many. News items jumps to mind or as a pointer to more in-depth information. They have the advantage of being available as an RSS feed or e-mail. That is user friendly. That is why I read them. I'll not give up going to meetings and conferences, reading book and magazines, watching TV, movies and DVD.
- Visualizing Bibliographic Metadata
Visualizing Bibliographic Metadata - A Virtual (Book) Spine Viewer by Naomi Dushay appears in D-Lib Magazine (October 2004) vol. 10, no. 10.User interfaces for digital information discovery often require users to click around and read a lot of text in...
- Blogging
An interview with Rebecca Blood, author of The Weblog Handbook, appeared on Tech TV the other night.Librarians have taken to bloggin in a big way. Steven and Greg have started a 'blog, LIS Blogsource, just to keep up with the new ones appearing. I...
- Rss
This is an interesting application of RSS, sending it via Instant Messaging. The RSS-IM Gateway allows a site with an RSS feed to make their feed available via an IM network. You do need the ability to load files on the same machine as the 'blog....
- Library 'blogs
Blake Carver and Steven M. Cohen have teamed up to provide LISFeeds. This is a one-stop-site for library related RSS feeds. There are about 25 sites so far. Just click on the 'blog title in the left hand pane and read postings in the right. Then click...
- Reading
If you are looking for some more 'blogs to read Recommended Reading is a nice service. Plug in your home page and based on that you receive a list of related Web logs. When I tried it, over half were ones I found of interest....
Library Cataloging
Web logs
Web logs, what are they good for? Steven M. Cohen recently addressed the issue of why we write them, but why do we read them? In what instances do they work?Here are my views. First, they are one-to-many or a few-to-many format. Topics that require give and take, a conversation, would not work well on a 'blog. A message board, Wiki, phone or other method would be a better method if discussion was required. The tag boards and comments features are not enough to carry on a discussion. Everyone is a broadcaster on a Web log.'Blog items are arranged in a chronological order. That is a valid method of accessing information in some circumstances. We have accession books (or used to) and chronologies in our collections. However, much information requires a different structure and presentation. Some 'blogs do have categories; The Shifted Librarian has posts by categories. That is not how we approach the site, that is an added tool. A text with an index is not an index. A book that arranged words by the date of usage would be interesting but not much use as a dictionary.Web logs are on the Web. Reading a screen is not conducive to long passages. I'm currently working my way through The Nature of a Work by Richard P. Smiraglia. I would not read that as a Web page. It challenges me as a book, if I had the additional challenge of reading on a screen, it would be totally beyond me. The Web does provide the benefit of adding links and most 'blogs take advantage of that.So 'blogs are useful to communicate short items presented in a chronological order, from one-to-many. News items jumps to mind or as a pointer to more in-depth information. They have the advantage of being available as an RSS feed or e-mail. That is user friendly. That is why I read them. I'll not give up going to meetings and conferences, reading book and magazines, watching TV, movies and DVD.
- Visualizing Bibliographic Metadata
Visualizing Bibliographic Metadata - A Virtual (Book) Spine Viewer by Naomi Dushay appears in D-Lib Magazine (October 2004) vol. 10, no. 10.User interfaces for digital information discovery often require users to click around and read a lot of text in...
- Blogging
An interview with Rebecca Blood, author of The Weblog Handbook, appeared on Tech TV the other night.Librarians have taken to bloggin in a big way. Steven and Greg have started a 'blog, LIS Blogsource, just to keep up with the new ones appearing. I...
- Rss
This is an interesting application of RSS, sending it via Instant Messaging. The RSS-IM Gateway allows a site with an RSS feed to make their feed available via an IM network. You do need the ability to load files on the same machine as the 'blog....
- Library 'blogs
Blake Carver and Steven M. Cohen have teamed up to provide LISFeeds. This is a one-stop-site for library related RSS feeds. There are about 25 sites so far. Just click on the 'blog title in the left hand pane and read postings in the right. Then click...
- Reading
If you are looking for some more 'blogs to read Recommended Reading is a nice service. Plug in your home page and based on that you receive a list of related Web logs. When I tried it, over half were ones I found of interest....