Why and How to Use Blogs to Promote Your Library's Services

From: http://www.infotoday.com
Written by: Darlene Fichter

Librarians have had to learn how to do a lot with just a little in order to promote awareness of their programs and services. They have seized the opportunities to market libraries in the real world via traditional media: newspapers, corporate newsletters, radio, and TV. Many libraries produce brochures, pathfinders, and their own newsletters. So it is no surprise to see librarians stepping up to the plate and spreading the word online with blogs. Savvy librarians have identified blogs as another means to market libraries and their services.
Exactly What Is a Blog, Anyway?

If "blog" is a term that's new to you, don't be concerned. You've probably encountered lots of blogs while using the Web for work or recreation. In fact, blogs existed long before the term was coined. NCSA's What's New1 page from back in June 1993 is credited as being one of the earliest blogs. In the library sphere, Jenny Levine's Librarians' Site du Jour2 is considered the original library blog.

Blog, short for Weblog, is a Web site that contains brief entries arranged in reverse chronological order. Blogs are diverse, ranging from personal diaries to news sites that monitor developments on anything from Outer Mongolia to copyright law. Evan Williams, the creator of Blogger, describes them this way: "the blog concept is about three things: Frequency, Brevity and Personality."3

In order to get a feel for the world of blogging, it helps to get a handle on the lingo.

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