The Very Model of a Modern Major-Librarian: The Collaborators of Today’s Blogging Libraries

Abstract

Information professionals have long been accustomed to helping individuals to access reliable information upon request. Yet the arrival of the internet and social media has caused them to increasingly face the impact of non-professionals sharing views and information directly without engaging information professionals in the process. How then should informational professionals share information today? To begin addressing this question, this paper looks at the evolution of blogging and its use/impact on libraries.

This paper is divided into three parts. Part I describes the evolution of web logging (or blogging.) Part II discusses how libraries and librarians have incorporated blogging into their everyday offerings. Part III reflects on this history in order to offer some brief, initial discussion as to what role information professionals and non-professionals should play in blogging today. Finally, the paper concludes with a brief restatement of key points of Parts I, II, and III.