#4: RSS and Newsreaders

RSS and RSS readers/aggregators are one of my favorite (somewhat) recent discoveries. When I was still the editor of my library's newsletter, I had about 20 library sites that I mined for information, in order to populate the newsletter with interesting tidbits and news from the library world in general. I grew tired of continuously checking them all, and someone told me about Google Reader. I immediately set one up and never looked back. It's been almost 2 years, and I currently subscribe to 189 blogs or sites (!). I really need to go through and "weed" some of these...

Because I love having information at my fingertips, my Google Reader has been a real lifesaver. I use it to keep track of news, sports (football only), issues in higher education, my friends' blogs, and of course library blogs. I have folders set up to group similar blogs together. Following so many blogs, even with an aggregator, can be a little overwhelming. I probably have more than 1000 new items on any given day. I have perfected the art of quick glances at posts to see what truly interests me; these I open in a new tab in Firefox and continue browsing. Once I've gone through a folder, I then read what I've opened. I probably fully read less than half of what comes through my reader. But that's okay--otherwise I would be completely overwhelmed.

With so much to go through, I've perfected the art of the keyboard shortcuts in Google Reader. "S" puts a star on posts to save for later, "J" skips to the next item within the folder, "K" goes back, "T" will let you add tags to categorize posts to be saved, and the spacebar serves as a page down, and also lets you navigate to the next folder's items when you're at the end of a folder. To open up the items I want in a new tab, I click with the scroll wheel of my mouse (that middle button that lets you scroll up or down; usually you can click with that). That scroll click will open links in a new tab anywhere in Firefox or Internet Explorer, not just in Google Reader, btw.

I've explored a little with Bloglines, but I didn't find it nearly as easy to use as Google Reader, and since I already use Gmail and Google Calendar along with other products, I find Google Reader is more integrated. I particularly like the fact that I can click the 'e-mail' button and send a post I like to friends or coworkers from my Gmail account with little fuss. I can also share items; to view items I have shared, visit this link: http://www.google.com/reader/shared/13417720717977932956

So what are some of my top blogs I subscribe to? I'm glad you asked, theoretical reader. Here are some faves, in no particular order:

• Early Word - book blog, mentioned in Thing #3.
• Infodoodads - a neat technology blog with more of an information-seeking focus
• Of Zen and Computing - fantastic computer/Internet tips
• Consumerist - a consumer resource type blog; not necessarily too many resources, but they showcase customer complaints and provide tips for resolution
• Fail Blog - always good for a pick-me-up, this blog showcases people or situtations that have 'failed' in some form; this can get a little PG-13
• Not Always Right - dumb and funny customer exchanges; never fails to entertain
• iLibrarian - one of my top LIS blogs, it focuses more on technology and its applications to librarianship
• RSS4Lib - speaking of RSS...this blog focuses on "innovative ways libraries use RSS."
• Swiss Army Librarian - a blog from a public reference librarian, I particularly love his Reference Question of the Week, which hardly ever fails to provide me with a new resource
• The Kept-Up Academic Librarian - brings together important news in higher education; not necessarily directly related to libraries, but it helps us know what's going on in the higher education sphere as a whole
• What I Learned Today... - another one of my top LIS blogs, with a definite 2.0 angle
• Coffee Break Spanish - get a mini Spanish lesson in your RSS reader and brush up on (or get acquainted with) the language
• Mental Floss Blogs - a companion to the magazine, this blog always has tons of trivia, lists, and fun information
• White House - yes, the new administration is embracing technology and the White House now has an RSS feed! Keep up on press releases, news, and legislation President Obama has signed.

Obviously I have a lot more feeds I subscribe to, and I read most of the ones mentioned on NEFLIN's 23 Things blog, so I'm glad we're on the same page!

I've been thinking a lot about how I can use RSS in my library, not just for my own edification. One thing I really love is the fact that the state university's new Endeca catalog gives you the opportunity to create an RSS link for any search that you do. Want new books at UF? Check this link: http://uf.catalog.fcla.edu/uf.jsp?N=20+206535&S=D35J3E8UG3FCNFAEBBX94LR9C9SKE3ME9TFKCS4HXK7L5BDKYE&Ntk=Keyword&Nty=1

Want to find books about 2.0 in the Z call number range in the General Collection of Library West (UF) in a book format? Here's your link: http://uf.catalog.fcla.edu/uf.jsp?Ntt=2.0&CN=LC&N=1038+407218+206483&CNS=S&S=D35J3E8UG3FCNFAEBBX94LR9C9SKE3ME9TFKCS4HXK7L5BDKYE&Ntk=Keyword&Nty=1

I think that this has amazing potential for use with faculty members in particular. Send them a link to a specialized search in their subject field and they'll always know when new items are added. Or create a website that embeds that RSS feed if they don't want to bother with an aggregator. I only wish the community college system had some way to incorporate RSS feeds. For now, I think creating a new books blog might help, but Aleph is missing the boat here...