Blogging at the Reference Desk: using a Home-Grown Blogging System to Increase Communication among Reference Team Members
1. Introduction
• Lack of communication among reference desk staff
• New staff wanting to use technology creatively
• Staff did not want their email filled with desk messages that aren’t applicable
when they are off the desk
• No time to check email while on the desk when they know information was
emailed
• Some messages were recorded in a notebook at the desk, but after a day, the next
page was made visible and staff forgot to check past pages
• Some recorded messages were unreadable
Requirements
• Locally hosted due to problems with campus IT services
• Simple and intuitive for the end user with no blogging experience
• Possible tie-in with new chat service RefChat
• Limit access to physical library
• Price—always try to do projects open source due to campus purchasing
environment
What was done
• Examined several popular and lesser known blog software packages, including
Blogger, Moveable Type, and WordPress
• Features, price, ease of use were main consideration points
• Programmer wrote a php script to tie the blog and RefChat together—one login
gets use into both services
Effects on Reference
• Systems staff notifies reference of outages without having to go to reference and
write a message
• Comments are popular when posts solicit a question or systems staff gives an
estimated response time
• Linking to new and relevant website—old paper system made writing and typing
links error-prone
• Staff remember to log into Reference Chat
• Fun—staff feels like the blog is an innovative way to communicate
Problems
• Must be careful when doing a website template update in Dreamweaver—
accidentally including Nucleus ruins permissions
• Historical culture of not adapting to new technology
• Staff concerned about having another password
Plans for the future
• Set staff up with an RSS reader at their desks so they can quickly check the blog
• Put the Reference Desk Manual into a Wiki so it is online and searchable
2. • Request from desk staff for a webcam so they can see if systems staff is available
to help!
• Turn it into a portal system for Reference including the Desk Manual, schedule,
and integration of federated search
