"Bonus" blogger blog

As an assignment, we were asked to read four bloggers for the past few weeks. Here is the write-up for the assignment.

The Bloggers

Libraries are for Use

• Karen R. Harker, MLS, MPH
• Collection Assessment Librarian, University of North Texas Libraries
• Harker's blog is based on the teachings of S.R. Ranganathan and his book, The 5 Laws of Library Science. Though posts are no longer explicitly about the chapters of the book, Harker includes elements of Ranganathan's teaching in her discussions.
  The main topic of the blog is academic libraries. Posts largely concern developments in the field (published studies, news, etc) with some of Harker's personal experiences mixed in. The tone is friendly and informal, but professional, and the posts tend to be medium-to-long and thorough. This would be a helpful blog for a smart person who isn't very familiar with academic libraries, since it covers a range of issues that concern a university library. 

Swiss Army Librarian

• Brian Herzog, MLIS
• Reference librarian, Chelmsford Public Library
• Herzog's blog revolves around the daily experiences of a reference librarian at a public library, combined with updates on the information field at large. The topic coverage is very broad, but Herzog shows a special interest in digital concerns such as surveillance and copyright. His voice is very personal, so that even posts about national trends or movements are based on a strong point of view and often a strong opinion. Herzog also posts particularly interesting reference transactions. The story of the patron who believed that her computer timing out was the work of the government trying to block her access to certain information was one of the better ones.
  Herzog is an active writer and speaker in the field of public librarianship, and the tone of the blog reflects the mix of his academic background and pursuits with his daily work with the public. 

David Lee King

• Digital Services Director, Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library
• King's blog is similar to Swiss Army Librarian in that it is focused on technology in a public library setting. The blog's tone and voice are also similar, though King takes a strong stance on issues like copyright less often than Herzog. King often discusses content creation and focuses more often on the use of digital hardware (cameras, sound equipment) than does Herzog. He also writes occasionally about makerspaces. The blog is very community-focused, and King is clearly interested in social media and its role in librarianship.
  He is an international speaker with a background in service. 

Tame the Web

• Dr. Michael Stephens
• Assistant Professor, School of Library and Information Science at San Jose State University
• Stephens, like the other bloggers mentioned here, largely writes about technology as it applies to librarianship (in his case, mostly academic librarianship). The technology about which he writes, though, is geared toward higher education. He writes often about MOOCs. Like Libraries are for Use, many of the posts on this blog are announcements and brief discussions of recent reports and other news.
  Stephens's tone is much less personal than Herzog's or King's. While he does discuss his own work, he does not delve much into his personal life or views. 

Analysis

• All of these bloggers were very interested in (surprise!) technology. It was interesting to see, though, how they all discussed technology in different ways. Libraries are for Use was the least tech-oriented, but Harker did cover reports and news that concerned technology and discussed it some in the context of academic libraries. Swiss Army Librarian wrote about technology as it concerns the general public, especially those who visit public libraries. Those posts were on big issues like DMCA and surveillance, which are not only related to libraries. David Lee King was also concerned with technology in public libraries, but he focused much more on content creation, such as videos and podcasts, as well as makerspaces. Tame the Web took a much more academic approach to talking about technology, focusing on its potential as a teaching tool for higher education. 
• I noticed a strong service ethic in all of these blogs. While only Swiss Army Librarian discussed interactions with patrons in the form of reference service, all of the bloggers wrote about their work in terms of making their library (or class) the best it can be for their patrons. They all also expressed a concern with bettering the world at large through information or libraries. 
• My Big Takeaways (TM) from this were:
• There is endless variety in libraries and librarianship, but you pretty much always know when a librarian is speaking. 
• As much as we may complain, our patrons and communities are still the most important things to us (professionally, at least). 
• You can't be a Luddite and a librarian at the same time. 

- K