WebJunction

It is now more imperative than ever for library staff to keep on top of the variety of ways in which technology has permeated the library world. Whether you’re a director, systems administrator, or front line staff, new technologies are probably coming at you from all directions. How do you stay informed? Of course, there are journal articles and books to consult, but often the freshest information is found in blogs written by librarians. These dedicated bloggers sift through the glut of information, pick out the bits they find most relevant, and serve it all up with dashes of personal observation and experience.

Disclaimer: Since this article was first published in 2004, library blogs have proliferated wildly. Blogs now contribute to the glut they were intended to reduce. Many of these library blogs are refreshing to read and well worth following; the writing is often high-caliber and the insights spicy and witty. Blog reading is an exploration and an adventure. One blogger’s comment links to another blog, which links to another, and so on. Look at each site’s blogroll to see what that author thinks is worth reading and forge your own path through the labyrinth.

In selecting blogs for this list, the key criterion is a predominate focus on technology issues for libraries, with regular delivery of new tools, ideas, and solutions that will help libraries of all sizes deliver up-to-date services to their communities. Every choice is subjective, as it should be. This list should be used as a starting point, leading the blog reader into the wealth of resources, with encouragement to forge your own path and bookmark the blogs that speak most succinctly to your particular needs.

For a lengthy examination of library blogs and bloggers, see Walt Crawford’s articles on Investigating the Biblioblogosphere and Looking at Liblogs: The Great Middle.

ALA Tech Source Blog
http://www.techsource.ala.org/blog/
Posts here are more like journal articles than the usual pithy blog fare. An impressive array of authors share points of view on emerging technologies, all of which will keep you abreast of the library’s evolution in the 21st century.

Blyberg.net
http://www.blyberg.net/
“… herein are thoughts and the occasional {foo} from an Ann Arbor District Library geek.” As the recent winner of the Talis Mashing Up the Library 2006 competition, nobody is questioning Web developer John Blyberg’s geek credentials. He is a leader of the pack in innovative implementation of Web 2.0 tools at the much-cited Ann Arbor District Library. Blyberg’s posts often assume a high level of tech-savvy in his readers, but even if you’re not a codehead, it’s good to know what’s happening in the fast lane.

Librarian In Black
http://librarianinblack.typepad.com/librarianinblack/
Author Sarah Houghton explains that her blog “was born out of my displeasure at having to wade through dozens of websites, blogs, & RSS feeds” in order to find the kernels most useful to her as a Tech Librarian. Let’s all be thankful for her frustration because she is the most energetic, exhaustive filter of the overload of information out there, siphoning off the best bits for the rest of us into her “one-stop-shop for...web design, technology news, library world news, reference stuff, funky gadgets, and other useful (or simply amusing) sites and posts.”

Library Tourguide to Technology
http://www.librarytourguide.blogspot.com/
Sandra Stewart offers to be your tour guide to “technology that has implications to libraries and library service.” As branch manager at San Jose Public Library, she recognizes the importance of library directors’ embrace of new technologies. Posts are short and digestible—just right for the busy director who wants to keep up with it all.

Oss4Lib
http://www.oss4lib.org/
Although this blog was started and maintained by Dan Chudnov, readers are invited to join (for free) and contribute, “so long as it's about free software or libraries or the intersection of both.” The union of libraries and open source software seems like a natural fit, especially with recent innovations in social networking tools and the urge to deconstruct the old proprietary OPACs.

ResourceShelf
http://www.resourceshelf.com/
Just as this blog was about to hit the cutting-room floor as not exclusively tech-focused enough, this post popped up about the Clusty Cloud Creator, a tool that generates a tag cloud for your library website based on search terms on your site –too cool to pass by. So, ResourceShelf stays, where Gary Price and his team “share the results of their directed (and occasionally quirky) web searches for resources and information.”

The Shifted Librarian
http://www.theshiftedlibrarian.com/
"My name is Jenny, and I'll be your information maven today.” The definition of maven as “someone who is dazzlingly skilled” fits Jenny Levine. Since January 2002, she has blogged for the library world with the goal—both humble and ambitious—of helping her peers adapt technology tools for use in the library. Writing from direct experience, her posts are straightforward, accessible, and warmly spiced with personal anecdotes.

Stephen’s Lighthouse
http://stephenslighthouse.sirsidynix.com/
Stephen Abram is a luminary in the library world. Not only does he seem to be the first to discover the latest neat new tech toys for libraries, he writes (and speaks) so cogently about the future of libraries. In addition to the blog, check out his articles and presentation materials on the Sirsi-Dynix site.

RSS4lib
http://rss4lib.com/
Author Ken Varnum turns his focus to “various ways libraries can (or should) take advantage of RSS as an effective data exchange tool.” From Reader’s Club genre-based feeds to news clipping feeds, discover the variety of ways to enrich your library website with RSS.

Tame The Web
http://www.tametheweb.com/
As a leading proponent of Library 2.0 (along with Jenny Levine/The Shifted Librarian), Michael Stephens writes insightfully about the perceived shift in technology and services in the 21st century library. He loves to compose easily digestible recommendation lists, such as:

• Ten Rules for the New Librarians
• Ten Techie Things for Librarians 2006
• Ten, no, Eleven Reasons for Vidcasting in the Library

TechEssence.Info
http://techessence.info/blog/
This group blog was initiated by Roy Tennant “to address the need for simple, easy to understand information about information technology.” The “stellar cast” of authors writes from the perspective of academic librarians, but many entries, such as Getting help from tech experts when you don’t have any on-staff, are applicable to libraries across the spectrum.

TechnoBiblio
http://www.technobiblio.com/
This blog favors quality over quantity. It’s a collaborative effort by four former Gates Foundation US Library Program trainers. They have ditched their old tag line—"where librarians and technogeeks speak the same language"—but have retained their focus on technology issues related to public access computing.

What I Learned Today
http://www.web2learning.net/
As a library Web manager, Nicole Engard is on the leading edge in the search for new technologies to enhance her library’s Web presence. She’s passing it all along to the rest of us in this blog, sharing her discoveries of “blogs, rss, wikis, php programming and more …”

BONUS sites!

Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki: Technology
http://www.libsuccess.org/index.php?title=Main_Page#Technology
This is not a blog; it’s a wiki! Meredith Farkas had the vision and the energy to launch the site, but the content is amassed by contributions from individuals in the library world, like you. As her introduction says, “this wiki belongs to the community of librarians who use it.” The technology section is now robust and growing with shared knowledge on a wide variety of tech-related topics.

Library Juice: Questioning the Techie Mission
http://libraryjuicepress.com/blog/?p=25
While one noteworthy post does not warrant a full spot on the list, this entry from blogging newcomer Rory Litwin is worth calling out for its thought-provoking examination of the assumptions underlying “the tech-promotional mission of many librarians.” (Note: the display works better in FireFox than in IE.)