Library 2.0 Curious

Since starting this course I have become aware of the benefits of RSS in terms of organising my reading. I forget about favourites that I have created and so they either don't work when I come to use them again or I just never get around to checking them. E-mail alerts are too "in your face" and always seem to come into my inbox at an inconvenient time. I file them away in a folder to be read and then they get forgotten about. By using an RSS aggregator I can pull this information together and then check up on things at a convenient time possibly once a week or even once a day. During this course I have been using the Bloglines notifier so an icon appears when one of the blogs I'm monitoring is updated. If I start to subscribe to more RSS feeds I may have to reconsider this approach as it can be as distracting as getting new e-mails (I always feel compelled to check). the point is it's great to have the choice.

I'm sure that many library users would find RSS similarly impressive and I think I will have to consider factoring this in with other training and support that the library service offers regarding current awareness alerts. For other library users it will be a step too far (i regularly encounter library users who have issues in using a keyboard and mouse and who need to grasp how to use windows and internet explorer.)

I think RSS offers another potential communication chanel for marketing library services and could meet some users needs in terms of keeping up to date with their reading. I also think that taking RSS feeds from other sites can enrich a library website with interesting current content. I have the hitting the headlines feed on my library intranet pages for some topical interest.