Changing the Librarian Image

Photo from minnesota.publicradio.org

I found this on the Government Documents Listserv. Thought it was such a great way to change the perception of what a librarian looks like. Enjoy!!

This is What a Librarian Looks Like

Blog Success

In Dhiman and Sharma's article, they mention four important qualities of successful blogs. The first mentioned was a 'clear scope'. Why are you (or your library) creating a blog? What is it's purpose? Whether the scope is to market the library programs or to create buzz over new acquisitions, the blogger needs to be aware of what the blog's main purpose is. If you look at the Seekonk Public Library, their blog has a very clear scope -- to market library programs. All the posts discuss up coming adult and children programs within the library. The next quality was a 'well defined audience'. Who are you blogging to? Pick a demographic within your patrons that you want to talk to or get into the library. Once again, the SPL blog is geared towards adult patrons, especially parents. The third important quality is a 'professional look'. Blogs should have a clean and polished look that engages the audience. The SPL blog has a similar design scheme that compliments the public library's main website, very polished and professional. The last quality of a successful blog is 'regular maintenance'. A successful blog needs consistent updates and posts. Your audience wants to read interesting and current information.

What do you think? Do Dhiman and Sharma make a good point concerning the qualities of a good blog? Should we also be concerned with how the content is written in regards to tone and language?