Review Article

Yes Virginia, blogs do belong in Libraries
By Melissa Victoria Mazar

Review of Article from Ariadne:
Garrod, Penny. (2004, July). Weblogs: Do they belong in libraries? Ariadne issue 40 Regular Column. Retrieved November 5, 2005 from http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue40/public-libraries



In her article, Weblogs do they be long in Libraries?  Penny Garrod argues that blogging is becoming an important research tool for libraries, and provides a very basic overview about weblogs and how to get one. She provides some examples of how blogs are currently being used in libraries internationally and suggests they could be used in libraries to communicate with people at a local level. Her article does not stress the importance of this fairly new medium to libraries, nor does she look at the potential for blogs to change the general view of the library as an outdated source of accessing information. In light of Garrod’s article, the Guelph Public Library can overcome problems like the lack of support from citizens and city councilors, gain an active young adult population to the library, and create a bridge between libraries and education through blogging.

To use the Guelph Public Library as an example, many citizens are against the building of a new main branch because they do not believe that a new library is needed because of the internet. In fact, there is a major schism in Guelph between those that believe the library is important and those who do not. In chapter three, of Management Information Systems, a case study of K-mart revealed that Walmart’s success was due in part because of the software they developed that shipped new products automatically if they were out of stock. Walmart embraced new technology and as a result were better able to communicate with their customers from store to store. As a result, K-mart’s sales declined, they became known as a dated and old fashioned store, not up with current trends. In some cases, the library could be considered in the same position. A recent letter to the Guelph Tribune questioned the need for a new library in Guelph:

In light of the fact that in the next year, between Imperial Tobacco and ABB, 800 people will lose their jobs. I find it hard to believe this city really “needs” a new city hall at $38 million or a new library…What is the reasoning behind a new city hall? Will the current one not do? And in the age of computers and the wealth of information they provide, I would have thought the need for a new library a bit of a dated idea. I certainly don’t see the need, as I have never had any trouble getting through the “crowds” of people who are currently using the several branches we already have. (Cleveland, 2005)
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The potential for libraries as a source for acquiring information from sources other than books is something that Garrod suggests in her article. Interestingly, weblogs have the potential for expanding the library virtually, if not physically. The more people use the library with these expanded services, the more likely they will accept that libraries are an important connection to the community and will then support the building of bigger library. Garrod also suggests that a weblog containing links to things like job opportunities would provide more community centered information.  The argument that Cleveland makes in his letter, opposing a new main branch, could be redirected. The library is a space where people who have lost their jobs can go for help to acquire new jobs. Blogs could be used as a messenger for information and as a way to speak directly to members at city hall. The library as host, could act as a neutral meeting place for residents and members of city council. Far from being outdated, the library like Walmart, who focused on the needs of its customers from store to store, has the capacity, with the use of blogs, to become much more focused on the specific needs of its city residents.

Secondly, Garrod points to some library blogs that have specific `teen’ pages but she never suggests that this is a potentially revolutionary way to attract the teen population to the library. In fact, many libraries are struggling to create specific teen spaces to meet with current trends in young adult literature, but the image of the library as uncool is still common among many teens (Meyer, 1999). For a long time, teens were virtually ignored as patrons, it has not been until very recently that libraries have begun developing programs and spaces specifically with teens in mind (Project, 2005). The Guelph Public Library is embracing the teen population; however, lack of space, forces teens to share space in the children’s department: A space they do not want to be in. One way to change this image would be to consider hosting a blog. The teen blog in the library could attract teens to a virtual space, specifically designed for them:

Modern technology which [teens] enjoy and perceive to be cool can be used to support and encourage reading. Weblogging in a controlled environment, can provide young people with a safe, shared Web space in which to develop writing skills and share experiences (Garrod, 2004 )

The result would be that the library would hopefully lose its image as being too geeky and a place for little kids. Another positive addition to blogging  would be as a way for teens to communicate one on one with librarians. For example, the library would be able to get feedback on what teens want and what they do not.  Garrod mentions that Sue Monk Kid, a writer, who was able to interact with kids from a school, and answer any questions they had about her book, The secret life of bees. This option is rich to potential teen authors, graphic novelists, and zine writers not only to expand their own market but an opportunity for teens to gain further insight into the books they enjoy and possibly provide them with opportunities to create their own stories. Thus, even without a physical space, the problems that many libraries face in attempting to attract the teen population to its doors, could be answered through blogs.

In her article, Garrod provides a general overview of the use of blogs in education, suggesting that children will gain a better understanding of the writing process because blogs are the new and easy way to publish. However, she again fails to see the potential for blogs as a way in which to provide better communication between libraries and schools. Blogs also have the potential to make the library more relevant by providing access to better research tools through blogging. At the Guelph Public Library, materials for certain subjects on the curriculum are more popular than others during different times of the year. Many students come into the library looking for materials that have already been borrowed because so many of the other students in Guelph are doing the same subject. The result is that patrons become frustrated with the library because the materials are not available. One way that this could be prevented would be with a library blog specifically for teachers to communicate with other teachers in the city, to ensure that books in the library are available to their students when they need them. This could be as simple as coordinating their subjects and when they teach them, to correspond to when the books are available in the library. Links could be added for more information on related topics. Parents and students would also be able to see what topics are most popular and choose accordingly. So not only do blogs provide school kids with opportunities for accessing a larger technological world as Garrod suggests, but also would provide local teachers and others in the community with better knowledge about what is going on in the schools. Libraries would become essential partners in the community, as well as providing better access to materials for their patrons.

Interestingly, Garrod never answers the question she puts forth in her article but her position is clear: blogging does belong in libraries, in fact many libraries, 544,000 at last count, are blogging. Does this make for a phenomenon or more importantly, does this make it a valid form for the access of information? Blogging is gaining momentum. More and more businesses, schools, libraries and universities are using this method because it is a cheap, easy and an accessible way to connect with others. More importantly, blogs have the capacity to connect citizens to their community. Moreover, a  lot of  local communities are lost due to technology and the modern world; in using blogs, this phenonmenon could potentially be thwarted by using technology to bring citizens back together.  The Guelph Public Library, and others like it, is on the verge of something potentially revolutionary, if weblogging is taken seriously as tool for virtual communication.





Works cited

Cleveland, J. (2005, November 8). We do not need a new library [Letter to the editor]. The Guelph Tribune, p. 7.

Garrod, Penny. (2004, July). Weblogs: Do they belong in libraries? Ariadne issue 40 Regular Column. Retrieved November 5, 2005 from http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue40/public-libraries

Gilham, Virginia. (2005, October). Where are we now?- Library Update. Mr. Dewey and friends: Newsletter of the Friends of the Guelph Public Library. Retrieved November 11, 2005, from http://www.friendsguelphlibrary.ca/docs/Newsletter/Fall2005.pdf

Laudon, J and K. Case Study: What happened to Kmart? Management Information Systems: Managing the Digital Firm, Second Canadian Edition, Prentice-Hall, Toronto: 2005. pgs104-107

Meyer, E. (1999) The Coolness factor- ten libraries listen to youth
Urban library Council: Strenghtening the public library as an essential part of urban life. Retrieved November 13, 2005, from http://www.urbanlibraries.org/showcase/cool.

Project for public spaces. (2005) Teen Central at Burton Barr Library. In Community Builders: teens turning places around.  Retrieved November 13, 2005, from http://www.pps.org/tcb/teen_central.htm

Shallit, J. (1995, January 15). Librarians and Computers. Paper presented at the Ontario Library Association Conference on public networks and censorship. Retrieved November 11, 2005, http://www.swiss.ai.mit.edu/6805/articles/censorship/shallit-network-censorship-jan15-95