Blog? Is that a Typo?

Blog?  Is that a Typo? 

I typed “blog” into an email to a friend and my spell checker asked me if I meant “bldg” or “bog”.   Even my spell checker is unfamiliar with blogs.  I knew that a blog was something a person decided to sit down and write one day, but that was about all I knew about blogs.  I didn’t know how people chose what to write about or if there was a preferred style to write a blog in, like the choice of APA style for writing bibliographies.  So, to find out more about blogs, I looked around the web at blogs written by librarians. 

I discovered there are many different styles to blogs.  Almost as many styles as there are bloggers!  The first librarian blog I read surprised me because I thought the blogger, (I found out that is what the person who writes the blog is called – a blogger!)  Anyhow, that blogger did not write anything about libraries.  Nothing about books, ebooks, or programs available to patrons! She wrote about her discussions with other people and what had happened recently in her life.  So I learned that librarian bloggers do not have to write about library topics. 

On that website, there was a column of words that I could click on to see older blogs about writing, creative fiction but various other things had to do with topics, rather than specific reading material. Though I wasn’t interested the topics she chose to write on, I did like her conversational way of “talking” in type.  I “talk” the same way in my emails to friends. I am using a similar style now as I share my opinions here in this blog.  Oh my – look!  I am blogging!

Some things that the blogs have shown me is how librarians can share useful information to other librarians.  One amazing blogger has incorporated technology in so many ways in her library!  Instagram pictures of student activities in school, QR code scavenger hunts, and Twitter to ask advice on a series of graphic novels and appropriateness for her level of students.  By looking at what she is utilizing to make the most out of the technology she has available, I am encouraged to try to do more with the technology I have and am learning more about. 

Then there is the Library and Archives Canada blog which provides information on the history and heritage of Canada with blogs that go as far back as November 2011.   This is a resource I can share with the staff at my school so they can expand on various units they teach.

I think blogging has a lot of good uses for librarians.  On quite a few blogs I found links to articles about upcoming written works, comments on recommended books, conferences and more. The sites tended to have a bio of the author/s of the site.  When I worked for a small town library, various patrons would come into the library and ask their favorite library person to recommend books.  The patrons had gotten to know which staff members had similar tastes in book as they did or which staff member would recommend a book that the patron would never to think to read, but would enjoy.  Blogs are a great way for more people to find out what one person recommends to read or stay away from!  After reading the blogger’s bio and a blog or two written by him or her, readers could choose who to follow, which blogger suits them!

For me, I would like to use blogs in my library. I think the students would have many ideas for the blogs and should be encouraged to write about them in a way they could share their thoughts and ideas with others.   A student could blog about a special event or a favourite book or author and others could respond to the blogs. Blogs could become a wonderful way for my students to communicate with each other in more depth than a 5 minute chat outside at recess or in the halls.  

Blogs and students blogging are not options at my school yet. Maybe the IT department can set up an intra-library system where students could blog on a school computer and have other students access it through any school computer?  I should ask them what is possible within our division.

Lookout IT department – I want to make use of blogs in our school!