RSS Feeds

This may all be old hat but I've never investigated this fully. My first attempt was when the State Library started issuing rss feeds but that’s a while ago.

Feedster is convenient to use but one needs to be quite specific when typing in a query. For example, just typing in the word “libraries” retrieves a lot of commercial websites. The advantage is that you can narrow down to specific types of feeds—blogs, news feeds, podcasts etc.

Topix has a very busy interface and works on a directory structure. Has an American bias but I guess so have the other 2. Of interest is a box on the front screen that allows you to search for local Australian news. The majority of results are from overseas sources though.

The google blog search works very well, presents an uncluttered screen and once you type in a subject of interest this search engine retrieves an overwhelming amount of blogs/feeds. The word “libraries” retrieves 73,830 results. Of course as with googling for any information you do have to sort through the dross and not all sites have rss feeds.

I hate to say it but I would use the google blog search. To target local Australian newsfeeds I simply type in the additional “site:.au”

#5 And more wikis

I've had a go at wikis late last week by adding to Mark's RB wiki and also to the SLV desk wiki. Returning to them this morning I found the second wiki (Holdings of Melbourne newspaper which should read "newspapers") has a most ungrammatical title. Tried everything to change it but the wiki help pages advise that I can't change the name. That can't be right. I shall run this past Lynette and see if I can remedy this.

This exercise in posting wikis has shown it doesn't take a great deal to be able to do this but I'm wondering about the look of a wiki. A cut-and-paste job from an existing word document seems to be a very basic effort and ok for now but longer term, should more be done to standardise its look? Like some form of template? This wouldn't be hard to do but would that be going back to the bad old days of time-consuming editing on behalf of 1 or 2 people who are given higher level editing privileges?

Our procedures already have a standard template so that's pretty much taken care of, but there is a great deal of information for information desks around the library that we can migrate to a desk wiki.

I like the wiki's ease of use. It would be a cinch to edit/update information.

#4 Wikis
This is quite exciting and I can see applications for our Information Desks as well as for other divisions within the library. Working with colleagues on the slv21 project Service Desk Intranet Portal we discussed using wikis or some similar technology to keep all desk staff informed and up-to-date.
I am impressed by the energy behind some of the American public libraries in connecting up with their local communities and reaching out to their users. Of course being the State Library we can't open up our pages to free-for-all editing but we can connect with our users in learning and discovery programmes in a more dynamic fashion. There's something about websites of large organizations such as ours that have a staid and immovable look about them. I think we need something that's a little more agile and wikis seem to fulfil this function.
wikis

Helpdesk video

I was charmed and mightily amused by this video. See what you think. It may take a little while to load though.

Feeling determined

Get with the programme! I'm like that white rabbit in Alice in Wonderland..."I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!" Everything's a mad rush these days and I'm feeling determined to conquer Web 2.0 but I won't get ahead of myself just yet.