WebJunction

Dear Curious George:

As if we didn't have enough noise from cell phones, computer games, and those rotten little crumb crushers running around the library, now my director is talking about "library clogging." Has he lost his mind?

Audio-Overload in Overbrook, Kansas

Dear Overload:
As much as I enjoy a good Double Down or Rocking Horse (which is to say not at all), I don't believe your director is talking about library "clogging." I think he's actually saying "library blogging."

According to Wikipedia, "A blog is a user-generated website where entries are made in journal style and displayed in a reverse chronological order." Librarians were early and enthusiastic bloggers, and many leading lights in the library field now maintain their own blogs: Jessamyn West (librarian.net), Jenny Levine ("The Shifted Librarian"), Sara Houghton ("The Librarian in Black"), Michael McGrorty ("Library Dust"), Michael Stephens ("Tame the Web"), Stephen Abrams ("Stephen's Lighthouse"), and Lorcan Dempsey ("Lorcan Dempsey's weblog"; oh well, they can't all have snappy names). There are a few collective blogs, like WebJunction’s own “BlogJunction.” And I am part of the five person team that contributes to “It’s All Good,” the progenitor of all OCLC-based blogs.

Individuals have blogs to share a little bit about themselves, to rant about the world, to talk about their favorite TV shows, movies, or books, or just to tell the world they are here. Librarians have blogs for pretty much the same reason, except that many of the blogs by our colleagues tend to be somewhat more literate and grammatical.

But why would a library have a blog? Well, a blog can be a conversation. As a big institution, a library can seem quite impersonal. A blog allows the library to adopt a conversational, friendly style that can reassure and relax the user. The blog can be a place to discuss new books or other materials, or to explain the reasoning behind a policy. It could be an open forum on your new floor plan, or a place for the director to share what she’s reading. Some of the better library blogs are hosted by Ann Arbor (MI) District Library; Buena Park (CA) Library District; St. Joseph County (IN) Public Library (this link is to their game blog---they host several at St. Joseph!)

Of course, the “library” doesn’t write the blog---people do. This can be a blessing or a curse. A library blog should, first and foremost, be written by someone who can write effectively. We aren’t talking Pulitzer Prize quality here, just the ability to tell a story directly and succinctly.
A library blog should respect the mores of the library, so it's important that whoever is doing the writing understands your rules and policies. Also, the writer should realize that this is not his personal blog. If he's mad about what the Board of Trustees or the director did, the library’s blog is not the place to let off steam (unless he has an alternate source of income!)

Finally, a blog gives the library a web presence that's easy to establish and maintain. Blogging software was created with the novice in mind. You don’t need to know how to do programming or web scripting to have a clean, attractive look.

So what is all this going to cost you, Overload? Just your time. Blogging software is generally free. Two well known providers are Blogger, owned by Google, and WordPress, owned by Automatic. You can find more about both systems by following the links. And you can start blogging in a matter of minutes.

For examples of library blogs on all kinds of topics (check out and contribute to!) our growing list on WJ's wiki (started by Tom Newman in Connecticut, thanks Tom!). If you've found other lists that have been helpful, we want to hear about them as well. WebJunction has also done some leg work for you when it comes to getting started with blogging. Be sure to check out our blogging articles "Easy Steps to Creating a Blog" and "Start a Blog in Five Minutes."

Get started small and simple, Overload, and my guess is you will be hooked on library blogging before you know it. Then you can finish perfecting your Buck Step and your Grapevine in the peace and quiet of your own home!

George