When it comes to being a librarian, one needs to keep up with the latest trends and information that's out there. A good resource for us librarians are other librarians blogs! Once these blogs are discovered, it is wise to store them in a Feed Reader so that we can easily access them and be notified instantly of new postings.
The Feed Reader of choice for me was Inoreader. I am a novice when it comes to blogging and feed readers. I will be the first to admit I did not even know what a feed reader was until just recently when it was given to me as an assignment! There are several free ones out there, however, that are very user friendly, which is just exactly what I needed! I browsed through several, such as Flowreader and Freereader Online, but the one that worked the best (and I'll admit easiest) for me was Inoreader. It allows you the ability to look through blogs, articles, news feeds, and even other social media platforms, such as Facebook. This makes it a bit convenient since I AM a Facebook person! It's how I keep up on the gossip of my friends and neighbor...and admittedly people that aren't my besties! Inoreader also allows access to podcasts. Facebook and the podcasts can only be looked through with an upgrade of Inoreader, but it's well worth it. To have everything in one place is essential in these times we live in! Another reason for choosing Inoreader, is that one can create folders to place their found items in to keep things organized and sorted out. One can also be notified when certain tags are identified. The world is always updating, so we need to be updated as well!
There are 5 blogs that I searched, researched, and chose to add to my Inoreader for just the beginning of a beautiful friendship! I admit I did get a couple of pointers from my mentor librarian at my school who told me about a few that she likes to read, when she has the time that is. There are more added to my Inoreader which can be found at my Inoreader link here https://www.inoreader.com/dashboard
1. The AASL Blog https://knowledgequest.aasl.org/ When my librarian gave me the idea of looking through this blog, I knew it would definitely be one that I would link to my Inoreader for the mere fact that it's the American Association of School Librarians Blog! I mean, who of us would NOT want this blog linked for quick access?! The blog shares everything from ideas to use within your library to reviews of books. They keep one up to date on the latest information in librarianship. There is much knowledge within the blogs that is quite beneficial.
2. The Library of Congress Blog https://blogs.loc.gov/ So I figured if I had the AASL Blog, that it would be beneficial to have the LOC blog as well! These two sites, as well as their blogs, are becoming of upmost importance as I move through my MLS. Like the AASL blog, the LOC blog keeps one up to date on the newest and latest, or even the oldest, findings within the librarian community. The blog also lists other blogs that may be of interest to librarians as well. It is like blogs within a blog...almost as though it were a feed reader in itself!
3. The Mighty Little Librarian http://www.mightylittlelibrarian.com/ This was another suggestion from my mentor librarian in my district. Upon browsing through it, she nailed it with this suggestion! The blog is by Tiffany Whitehead, who is just your everyday school librarian that has a love and passion for what she does and wants to share that information with others. The majority of her blogs talk about how to organize ones library, creating an inviting environment within ones library, even tips on developing your library's website. She also throws in basic everyday life blogs. I love this because it shows that her passion is within the library, but she also enjoys many fun exciting adventures outside of the library, such as this past summer her and her husband remodeled a camper van! She even included pics! This made me feel really connected to her because she gets on a personal level, while maintaining that librarian professionalism.
4. NPR https://www.npr.org/ Now with NPR, I am not sure if it is necessarily a blog or not, but I came across it as a suggestion on my Inoreader, so I checked it out. It is a very informative place with many different ways of communication, from podcasts to news articles. The site is very up to date with the latest local, state, and national goings-on. There is also a section for book reviews! How convenient! Just what a librarian needs...another book reviewer! The more info we can get, the better! These reviews can be found on this link https://www.npr.org/sections/book-reviews/ The more I dug through the site, the more information I found. It has a wealth of knowledge.
5. Awful Library Books https://awfullibrarybooks.net/ I have to admit when I saw this blog, I just had to link it! It fits my "negative Nancy/Karen" side! This blog was created by two public librarians and they keep one informed of the importance of weeding our library. So these two ladies go over books that other librarians have submitted in wonder if they need to weed that particular book. Anyone and everyone can submit a book they are in question about whether they should weed or not. The ladies give their opinion and then leave it up to the librarian that submitted the book to make their final decision. The keep names of the libraries and librarians private and confidential so no feelings are hurt. These ladies not only help with weeding, but also help with creating a policies and procedures manual. There are several that one can download and tweak to their particular library. I found this wonderful as well! Wish I had found it earlier in my MLS, though! The title is a bit misleading by saying AWFUL because it's more than sharing awful books. The ladies help any librarian find the good, the bad, and the ugly, but also how to keep their library and collection relevant and inviting. Definitely a blog worth keeping up with.
**6. Tumblr--The Reading Sunflower! https://www.tumblr.com/blog/thereadingsunflower Here is my little introduction I posted when I created my blog on Tumblr. 👩🏼🏫🌻📚💛I would just like to introduce myself! No I am not a sunflower! LOL! My name is Sabrina Richardson, and I have been a reading teacher in Texas for 20 years now. I am in the middle of earning my Masters in Library Science, so soon I will be able to continue my love for sharing the love for reading within the library. This blog is just to inspire and help one capture the joy of reading! Hope y’all enjoy! Happy Reading!👩🏼🏫🌻📚💛
I was not super familiar with feed readers before this assignment either. I knew about them but had never explored them or tried them out.
ReplyDeleteI have to make a point in saying THANK YOU! Thank you for your amazing recommendation for the Awful Library Books site. It's awesome!
I haven't thought about feeder readers since college. I forgot how useful they are, especially the ones that also allow you to link your social media accounts. I love what Awful Library Books accomplishes with its content: it's funny and, like you said, it is a great reminder for the importance of maintaining a healthy and up-to-date collection.
ReplyDeleteI loved the Mighty Little Librarian suggestion. I added it to my feed reader which also happened to be the Inoreader as well. As someone who has to do some heavy weeding in my library I will be following the Awful Library Books blog as well.
ReplyDeleteI had a difficult time with Feed readers. I saw the benefits of it, but I just could not find Feed readers that were fitting. I now have a few that I follow and am looking for more. I liked the Awful Library book Site as well. Thanks for sharing a few sites you follow. It is a great help.
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