RSS (Simple?)

     Before I actually set up this blog was set up an RSS feed. (Things 10 and 11 from SLA's 23 Things) http://wiki.sla.org/display/23Things/Welcome+to+23+Things%21+%282%2C120+SLA+members+registered+so+far)

    I did this to follow two blogs for my LIS 5020 class.  Before this class I had not even heard of RSS.  RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication.  RSS feeds help you keep up with updates on websites or blogs you follow.  This can be done through email or a reader.  As it turns out you can even stream RSS feeds in blogs, which I just figured out how to do today and added to my own blog.  Now the blogs I follow in my RSS reader I can share through my blog too. 

   I decided to go with Google Reader because that is what was suggested in the 23 Things program as well as being mentioned in a few information articles I read about RSS.  Before I set up the RSS Reader I went to Common Craft and watched the tutorial.  I found this to be really easy to follow and very helpful.  It made actually setting up the reader easy! Trust me I was relieved at this.  Personally I wish setting up my blog had been this easy, but I managed. 

    After I set up the reader I used a few lists provided by my professor along with a Google search on blogs by librarians to pick a few blogs to follow and put in my reader.  We only had to follow two for class but I ended up added a few different ones that sounded interesting to me.  I even picked one thaat dealt with space planning because I am on a space allocation committee at my library.  I thought this was a great way to learn and keep up with the different things going on in libraries.  This definitely beats trying to just do Google searches on the topics. 

    The feature that was most attractive to me about an RSS reader is that it sends the new entry for the blog or website as they are updated and it is all in one place!  Instead of trying to bookmark each blog and then visit each page and see if there is a new entry, the reader highlights when there is something new.  All I have to do is check my reader  two or three times a week and see if there are any updates, and if so I can read them then.  It makes keeping track of everything, and keeping up with everything I am interested in much more easier. 

The only issue I have had so far is being able to see all my subscriptions when there is nothing new.  I'm not sure why this is but I am still on the hunt for an answer.  In my search for the answer I did come across a very helpful site about Google Reader.  As a new user to Google Reader I was happy to find this guide.
 http://thesocialmediaguide.com/social_media/ultimate-google-reader-guide 

RSS feeds area great way for librarians to keep up with the newest trends in the field.  You can choose areas that interest you, your limited only by your choices.  If you have an interest in technology you can follow different technology blogs and maybe even come up with a way to use certain technologies in your library to improve either your services to the patrons, the community, or even just among the library staff.  It is possible to use an RSS feed to follow what other librarians are doing and saying; you might find that you encounter some of the same issues.  Using an RSS feed to follow these blogs or websites could be helpful because it keeps everything in the same place and organized.  It is a great way to save time because you are not going from website to website just to see if there are any changes or updates.  In a busy schedule that most librarians have this could be a great convenience.  Plus libraries are all about the organization of information, why not organize your personal sources of information?