University Library News
Georgia State University

FAQ – About Our Library Blogs

Does Georgia State University Library have a blog?
Yes. In fact we have several subject specific blogs available for viewing in your web browser or news reader via RSS/XML. The list of all subject blogs and associated XML feed links are found on the main news page.

What is a blog?
A blog, or weblog, is an online journal with generally frequent, brief postings. Blog sites often feature postings in reverse chronological order with a time/date stamp and a way to search or browse older postings.

What are the “feeds”, “xml”, and “rss” all about?
The orange XML button xml button allows you to add or “bookmark” our library blogs in your news aggregator. Aggregators are software or Web-based applications (usually free or available for a low, one-time purchase) which allow you to read many blogs and Web sites through that single application, effectively letting you create your own personal newspaper. Aggregators can make your Web browsing and news gathering activities more efficient. See our post about RSS and XML for more information on this topic.

Why does the Library use blog technology?
The library’s home page has included a news section for several years. Blog technology enables us to post news online more quickly.

Why should I read the Library blogs?
Our blogs are a great source, written and maintained by library personnel, where you can keep up to date with news about library services and resources, building improvements, exhibits or events, and more.

What blog software does Library use?
We are running a proprietary system based on MySQL. There are numerous options if you or your organization are considering blogging.

How can I find out more about your Library Blog implementation?
You can read more about the history, planning, development, and implementation of our library blog system in the following article:

BUILDING A HOME FOR LIBRARY NEWS WITH A BLOG. By: Goans, Doug; Vogel, Teri M.. Computers in Libraries, Nov/Dec2003, Vol. 23 Issue 10, p20, 7p, 1 diagram, 2c;

DELIVERING THE NEWS WITH BLOGS: THE GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY EXPERIENCE.
By: Vogel, Teri M. and Doug Goans. To be published in Internet Reference Services Quarterly in 2005. We are making this preprint available as per 1c (Author Re-Use of Work/Preprint Distribution Rights) of the Haworth Press Publication Agreement. The article will be in Volume 10, Issue 1 of Internet Reference Services Quarterly, expected publication in 2005.

Where can I learn more about blogs and blogging?
Here is a sampling of web sites that should help you learn more about blogs.

Sources: Open Directory Project and Weblogs Compendium


Blog FAQ’s created by Doug Goans ( dgoans@gsu.edu) and Teri Vogel (tmvogel@library.ucsd.edu)

*Author ID: 31 Author name: Doug*