Blah Blah Blog Readers!

Do you have lots of information you want to save and share? Do you get tired of searching for posts on your favorite topic or person? Blog readers are the answer. Blog readers allow you to keep track of all these posts without visiting individual websites. This could be beneficial for students and people in specific industries. As an American History student, just google "blogs American History" add them to your reader and BAM you only log in one place and the information is at your fingertips. Maybe you are in the cosmetics business, google "blogs make up" and BAM you can add all those blogs to your reader. You will have access to all that information with one log on and not have to click or remember individual websites. This is a real time saver. Time is my most valuable commodity and I appreciate every minute a blog reader saves me.

Lets talk about blog readers. There are many to choose from. Here are just a few: Bloglovin’, Feedly, Bloglines, NewsBlur, Digg Reader, and Newsvibe. I spent hours playing on each of these blog readers. Bloglovin was ok and easy to use. However, I did not like the interface. Bloglines was difficult to sign up for and I spent so much time just searching for the correct link. I had the same issues with NewsBlur. Newsvibe just was to plain for me and felt to basic. I did like Digg Reader and Feedly. Both of these were easy to use. I did not like the search feature on Digg Reader so I went with Feedly. I am glad I did. I was quickly able to add 25 blogs within about 30 minutes. I just googled "top library blogs" and picked which ones I liked best. This feeder is easy to navigate and allows you to even create categories for blogs. So whatever you are looking for is categorized and easier to find. Librarians tend to like filing systems.I like the look and feel of feedly. The name also makes sense and implies exactly what it does. I also like the layout of  the blogs as they appear on the news feed. This layout is similar to the original Facebook (yes, I am that old) which makes it easy to follow. I am so excited to have this at my fingertips.There is also an app for your android device. Cha ching we have a winner!

I followed several blogs. Here are some interesting ones. I am immediately drawn to The Book Bug. You can read that blog here: The Book Bug. I am particularly interested in the post about the Book Fair Set up. As a librarian this is something we do twice a year. I am always looking for better ways to display. Displays create a fun and welcoming environment. This also gets the kids excited about reading. Another good one is the Busy Librarian at: The Busy Librarian. This is a blog from an elementary school librarian. The title in itself explains how much a librarian has to do. I am interested in his view especially since he claims to be a gamer. This ties into my hopes to gain a maker space in my library, I love the podcast and images of books. His posts are more about books and that is where I can use some help. His text is simple and he lets the books do the talking. I have a personal connection to the library voice which can be accessed here: The Library Voice. Shannon Miller was one of my first professional development classes. Once she started talking about all the thing the library can be. I was hooked. I especially enjoy how she has a vision beyond the books and really wants the students to have a voice. She is considered one of the best and I see no problem in modeling the best. For me as the librarian, she seems up-to-date on the important things. Announcing Pebble Go in Spanish is important for my school. We service a large Hispanic population. I love the Skype help as well. Her blog is full of technology. And that is where it is at. Another elementary blog worth mentioning is Caleb's Creek Media Matters. You can find that here: Calebs Creek Media Matters.. The blog is not heavy with graphics and loads quickly. The text is in a simple format that is clear. Not much digital clutter here for the reader. I am really impressed with the lessons. She shares how she creates lessons that are cross curriculum. She even provides pictures to aid in understanding. This is so helpful for the visual learner. The last one to share with you is Mr. Library Dude. He can be found here:  Mr. Library Dude. This is a surprise blog. You never know what he may blog about. But I love the first blog he writes. He shares how most people think the library is quiet.. However, that really is not true. So since it is quiet he creates a play list full of fun music. This definitely helps me to remember my library needs to have activity or working noise all the time. While this is a college level blog it is about research. We teach research starting in Kindergarten. Granted this is minimal compared to what college students do; however, we do start the process. More importantly, his blog helps with advocacy for the library and all librarians. I am always looking for new ways to advocate. One post goes on to discuss what librarians do and how our jobs have changed. One of the greatest blog's is that of  Dr.Perry. Check out her blog of sketch notes here: Dr. Perry Sketchnotes. I love the colors and how stimulating the page is. This is a new and upcoming concept we are trying in my library. I want to share this with parents and teachers. Sharing how this conveys a message that doodling is learning. You almost know the story with limited reading. This sparks interest in reading. The best part is a professor is advocating drawing as a learning tool. This is great to share. This is just a few blogs to share that interest me. I am sure you can find plenty that inspire or interest you. I challenge you to learn something new. Go search for your school's blog or another school in your area. Maybe even another school with the same grade levels across the country. You may be surprised at how much information can be right at your fingertips and improve not only your job performance but your life as well. 

Just as a final note, I have created a tumblr page. Check it out here: Library Ledge. Here I am sharing others great post. I especially love the sketch notes by Dr. Karin Perry. Go check this out right away. Lots of fun stuff here!

Reference

Choosing Your New Blog Reader! - Crafty Cupboard. (2013, March 18). Retrieved September 20, 2015. 

Google Reader Who? Feedly Became Top News App On iPhone, iPad & Android This Week; New App Now Awaiting Approval. (n.d.). Retrieved September 20, 2015.