RSS in Action!

During my exploration on the internet I came across three examples of library’s using RSS feeds in different ways to connect with users and meet their information needs. The first was the University of South Australia Library, which used RSS feeds to provide updates for recent publications added to selected databases as well as resources added to the library collection. This is useful for students who want to use current resources for their research or want to be aware of new resources in their field.

by Travelin' Librarian

The Deakin University Library uses RSS feeds to allow users to subscribe to library news updates, which can range from new services being provided, changes to existing services that patrons might need to know about, and library related events. This is a great way of providing information to students that they can read in their own time and that won’t disappear amongst a multitude of other posts, which can be a disadvantage of Twitter or Facebook, because things can get missed.

Lastly, the Queensland State Library uses RSS feeds, not only to provide news updates, but also to showcase stories from people in the community who want to share their story, which is a great way of involving users and encouraging participation and collaboration. The Queensland State Library also uses RSS to share video and audio webcasts of public talks and interviews and even an ‘image of the week’ from the collection. This is useful for people who may not be able to physically visit the library but want to hear and see some of the public speakers giving presentations, and by having an ‘image of the week’ the library can help promote their collection. The library also allows users to subscribe to an RSS feed of the updates from the library blog, this is a great idea because it means that users don’t have to continually check to see if there are updates, but instead can be informed when an update occurs so they don’t miss the information.

Overall, I think there are some major benefits to libraries providing RSS feeds for people to subscribe to, and as previously discussed, there are many different ways RSS can be used in the library to enhance information services, access to resources and meet the information needs of users.