I started this blog in IST 511 and I haven’t really kept up with it. It is difficult to keep up with blogging, especially when you have a busy life. But I think having a blog on your school library’s website is a great way to advocate for the library and involve students in the blogging process. As the librarian, you might think it would be too much of a hassle to keep the blog updated with all of the projects that students are working on in the library, or what events the library has going on during the year, but this is where you can get students involved and have they be the maintainers of the blog. This would give students a feeling of ownership over their own learning as well as ownership of the blog.
As the librarian, you would have ultimate authority on what gets posted, and it would behoove you to read over the students’ posts before they post them, because the library blog will be a reflection of you. You could ask students from each class that works on a project in the library to work together and come up with a blog post about what their project is and include links to their finished products.
Another idea is to have students who are in a bookclub, blog about their meetings, when the future meetings are, and what books they are reading or plan to read. This would get the word out about bookclubs and act as an advertisement.
Lastly, you could have students who are aware of the activities that the library might be hosting, such as author visits, or maybe a debate club, could post about these activities as well. There are so many ways in which students could become involved in blogging for the library and I think that there would be a lot of interested students who would be glad to hone their writing skills by posting to the blog.
AASL Standard Addressed: 3.1.4
Use technology and other information tools to organize and display knowledge and understanding in ways that others can view, use, and assess.
Common Core Standard:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and link to and cite sources as well as to interact and collaborate with others, including linking to and citing sources.
Does anyone else have other blogging ideas for the library?
erinbennettlib 
Erin, first of all, you and I chose the same image for the top of our blogs. Who could resist those lovely old books? š Second of all, I like how all of your ideas center around student involvement. I think that’s a great way to 1) remove a chore from a busy librarian’s to-do list, and 2) promote student engagement in different aspects of library life. I plan to steal some of your specific ideas. Thanks!
To speak to your time worries, I thought the message int he Eric Sheninger video may help. He siphoned time from his newsletter and added the time to his social networking goals. A librarian may just realize that the blog “replaces” some other task in utility and instead keep up the blog. Having input from the students and staff can prevent the stress of keeping up the blog by themselves and makes it more communal.Growth would end up exponential as word gets out through the teachers and students. Keeping students excited and interested is extremely important, and I see this as a way to increase the excitement and interest. Good luck with your blog.
Erin, great ideas. I really like your idea about getting clubs, like a book club or a debate team involved in the library. This is a great way to not only reach out to students in the classroom, but to incorporate the library into student activities as well. Thanks for your thoughts!
–Lisa U.
Hi Erin,
I really liked your choice of the books template too. That would have been my choice if I were to discuss blogging and library. My blog however will focus on technology and the role of leadership in moving librarianship forward. Hence, I picked a castle -le Chateau- theme instead.
I agree with you that it’s hard to keep up with a blog giving the many obligations we have. However, involving more librarians might do the trick and allow for more collaboration and time management for each of the editors/writer. I enjoyed reading your blod as it prepares me for the task ahead -keeping up with a blog to share ideas!
I also like that the thrust of your library blogging activities would be centered around the students. What a great learning experience as your selected standards demonstrate. I think the motivation component would be strong and students would appreciate recognition for their contributions. Great suggestions, Erin.