Blogging about blogging

Bloggity, Blog, Blog, Blog

I've had a personal family blog for about 5 years. There are about 5 people who ever read it, but it is a fun way to keep my parents updated on the comings and goings of my family since we live half a state away from each other. I found that library blogs are much more interesting than my family blog! There is just so much to see!

Blog readers are a thriving business with so many options. After looking around a bit I decided I wanted to stick with the Blogger dashboard reader mainly because I have so much invested into the resources I have on it. After 5 years, it would be quite a job to move everything over to one of the newer, more interactive readers. I did sign up for a Blog Lovin' feed, which is easy to navigate and emails me once a day with updates of the blogs I put on it. If given time I would probably make the shift into a more exciting and intricate blog reader. I looked at NewsBlur, but found my eyes blurring at the amount of information coming in. The real time feed made me a bit twitchy because I hate the feeling of being behind. I also looked at Bloglines but didn't like the look of the pages. I didn't dive very deep into the layout because it just looked too boring. I know, I know, and this from the lady who decided to stick with the original Blogger reader. It's not consistent because nothing is more boring that that, right? Well, it's comfortable, I have it set up how I like it, and sometimes change isn't on the menu. The really important thing about blogging is the blogs themselves.



My favorite library blog is Watch.Connect.Read. a blog by a librarian who has the best things to share. Mr. John Schu shares book trailers, lessons he does with his students, book release information, author interviews, and so many other neat things that this soon to be librarian hopes to incorporate into her library world.


My second favorite library blog is The Nerdy Book Club. It's not strictly library stuff. It's more about books and personal experiences and shared stories. It's great reading, inspires my teaching, and connects me with other book nerds, so in my mind, it's perfect as a library blog!


Another great library blog is The Mighty Little Librarian . This is a place full of information about all things library. Survey results from her school about how patrons perceive the library, dewey decimal updates and signage ideas, infographics, and so much more. This blog is updated regularly and is very visually pleasing.

The Adventures of Library Girl is set up in a traditional blog format and shares personal stories along with research to address the needs of many librarians. While not updated daily, it is a wonderful resource for all sorts of library stuff, and you know librarians love stuff! (As long as it is organized.)


The Busy Librarian shares lesson plans and information from an elementary librarian's perspective. Author interviews, book trailers and supplemental information all come together in a neat, appealing package here.


As I was exploring the world of library blogs I found that they are each unique to their community and provide what their readers want to see. Whether the blog is tied directly to a school and is chock full of information about their people and kids and events, or if it is more of an informational clearinghouse for what the blogger loves most in the world of libraries, I found that they are interesting, informative, and a wonderful tool to share with students and fellow educators.

I bet you are wondering about Tumblr. If not, start wondering because I know I wondered about it for quite a while. I had no idea if it was an organizer or a blog site or something else entirely. All I know is that I would see it pop up in the twitter feeds of college students and some celebrities. So I went adventuring and found something that made me step back and blink. It's a blog reader that hosts blogs and connects to other blogs, I think. I set up an account but it is still a work in progress. There is no telling how this will turn out, but I have given it a shot.  So, if you are feeling adventurous, feel free to check out my Book Stuff tumblr at http://mewillingham.tumblr.com/ . The one thing I don't need is another blog to run in addition to my studies, job, family, and social obligations, but life has a funny way of coming out differently than I plan most times.