More Case Studies--Different Blogs

The blogs examined this week were not as impressive to me as the ones we looked at last week. However, they were varied in the purposes they were aiming at.

The Darien Library, for example, is trying to address different patrons groups (community, teens, children), different interests (movies, books), and different aspects of the library and its service (director’s blog, information & technology blog, events blog, front desk blog—this last one did not work) with multiple blogs and perhaps one or two staff members responsible for each. Is the aim to make the patron aware of all the different aspects of a library? The result for me was fragmentation. The information was too subdivided. The children and teens blogs resembled the other ones in style, and the need to separate them seemed lost. The frequency of entries varied from blog to blog, depending on the time and effort devoted to blogging by the various staff members.

Garfield County Public Library blog was a single blog with multiple bloggers. Its title, “Library Loung” is appropriate—it resembled a staff room chat, wanderings on topics that would not be understood by most patrons. It did not have a focus.

The Lamson Library blog, from Plymouth State University, seems to be a groundbreaking project under development, to incorporate the OPAC into WordPress. The blog was linked to the website and current catalogue. So far, the blog serves to purpose of highlighting recent acquisitions and material in demand. I was not clear about the final goal of the project, and the link to it did not work the second time I checked it.

MabryOnline is another use of multiple blogs, this time in a school setting. Each administrative department (principal, nurse, café, counsellor) had a separate blog. The identifying photos were good in each. Some were better at updating their blogs than others. The band’s blog looked the most professional. Teachers also had blogs, and feeds for these blogs were being encouraged. As with Darien PL, the fragmentation seems overdone. These blogs seem to be replacing a school newsletter, which would have brought the information together. Parents, fellow staff, and students, all potential readers of the blogs, might very well miss important information because it is so scattered.

St. Joseph County Public Library Game Blog seems to have no link to the library’s website. Obviously it is attracting many comments by the teens who are participating in the gaming tournaments. The staff seems as involved as the teens—their language style is no different. I wonder whether the blog lends too much familiarity.

The Virginia Commonweath University Suggestion Blog seems to be well used. It has a focus—a “suggestion box” Q&A--and the comments are well worded, with responses by the appropriate staff member. It seems to be well used by both faculty and students. Multiple users, but with a narrower focus—this seems to work better. Again, I could see no link to the library website.

I came to several conclusions as a result of examining these cases. This list is far from exhaustive—just a few thoughts:

1. A blog must have a clearly stated, narrow enough purpose that it will remain focused and useful to both bloggers and readers.

2. A blog must have frequent entries—needing a dedicated blogger to keep it going.

3. Multiple blogs within the same institution such as a school or library are too fragmented. A few, each with distinct and appealing presentations and styles, can be good—e.g., book recommendations, children’s events, teen advisory, and general. More becomes too busy.

4. Having multiple bloggers on the same blog works for the narrowly focused Suggestion Box since all responses are formal and there is no need for a personal style. In more personal styles of blogs, multiple bloggers make the blog inconsistent and lacking in direction.

5. The intended audience of the blog should be stated clearly—patrons, staff, parents, etc.

6. A blog should be well indexed and categorized.

The blogs examined above serve different purposes, albeit not all successfully. In order for a library to use blogs successfully, they should be integrated more visibly into the mainstream website. This would combine and coordinate the information into one place for readers. The Ann Arbor example of a blog that was well categorized and indexed and aesthetically pleasing. Bogs may well replace websites, hence serving many purposes, as the more sophisticated layouts become more widespread. They must be professional and focused as well as showing a distinct personal touch.