Blogging for the record

Creating a blog as an online journal:

I have had a blog since around 2003. The site was mostly used as a static online resume for years. In May 2014 I began to blog in earnest. The purpose for blogging was not to create a “following” but instead to create a record of significant projects and happenings in my library. A goal to blog about once a month was set. I have found in the past year, however, that I post a little more than once a week, 55 posts in 2015 to be exact. That is in addition to the seven posts for the KQ blog. If someone had told me that I would write so much in one year, I would not have believed them.

Too busy to blog?

So you may ask, how do you find the time to write?  The answer is “right away.”  I try to record things immediately.  Otherwise, procrastination, doubt, and second guessing come up, and I fail to record the project or happening.  I have found that the lack of record, brings me more regret than the occasional missed comma or unfortunate auto-correct.  The records are the wonderful reward of blogging on a regular basis.  I can look back on significant collaborative projects and share them with faculty and students depending on the topic.

Here are some projects from last year that I have already looked back on to share with someone, tweak a lesson, or just remember fun events.

How do I start my own blog?

If you want to start your own blog to journal your library work there are many free tools to get started blogging.  You can use WordPress and Blogger for free.  If you do not want to go to the trouble of setting up a blog, there is a posting feature within LinkedIn that works very well.  The benefit of using LinkedIn is that your connections see the posts when they check in with the site.  Some users even have notifications when connections make a post.

I want more than just a record!

If you want to have a serious blog, then there are many examples out there of school librarians and others doing a fabulous job.
Here is my list of favorite Bloggers:
 Feel free to add your favorites in the comments section.
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Author: Hannah Byrd Little

Hello, I am the Library Director at The Webb School of Bell Buckle. I use my past experience in college and university libraries to help my current students in school libraries transition into college, career, and life. I am currently the lead Senior Class Adviser for the Capstone Project. I also served at the state level with the Tennessee Association of School Librarians executive board from 2009-2013 and was the TASL president in 2012. I am certified as a Library Information Specialist for PreK-12th grade, have a BS in Communications with a concentration in Advertising and Public Relations, a BS in Liberal Studies with a concentration in Education and Information Systems and a Masters in Library and Information Science.



Categories: Blog Topics, Community/Teacher Collaboration, Professional Development

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3 replies

  1. Awesome post! I love seeing the importance of blogging being brought up here. For me, blogging has been a fantastic way to keep a record of the projects and programs I’m doing and to share what I’ve learned with others. I think we could all benefit from creating an open record of what we’re doing – sharing for the win! :)

  2. Thanks, Diana!
    I will add http://renovatedlearning.com/
    To my follow list!

  3. Hi Hannah,
    Thanks for the great post. I completely agree. I just recently started a blog, for many of the same reasons you mention. It also helps me remember cool resources, or forces me to take a more through look at apps, websites, databases, etc. This really helps me to promote them to teachers and students as I have a better understanding of how it looks. My blog: theinspiredlibrarian.com

    Librarian Little is such a perfect name,

    Kendra

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