Top Five Friday: Librarian Blogs

It’s been a while since I’ve done a Top Five Friday (I know, I know – I said I’d do it every week…but then I realized every other post was a Top Five Friday and felt it looked kind of silly). Anyway, through a small project I call Librarian Problems, I’ve recently become more aware of the amazing community of blogging librarians out there. Today I’ve decided to blog a bit about my favorite blogs by librarians!

1. This Is What a Librarian Looks Like

Aiming to challenge the old bun and cardigan stereotype, Bobbi Newman of Librarian by Day and Erin Downey Howerton of Hybrid Librarian invite librarians all over the world to share photos and tell a little bit about themselves. I love seeing and reading about all the different personalities and kinds of people who make up our profession today. By recently submitting a post myself, I’ve come to realize how it’s also a great way for librarians to connect and network with each other.

2. Shelf Renewal

Last fall I attended a workshop on blogging presented by Rebecca Vnuk, Editor for Reference and Collection Management at Booklist, who coauthors this great resource for back list titles with Karen Kleckner Keefe, Director of the Hinsdale (IL) Public Library. They offer read alike suggestions for current popular titles and bring attention to older, but great reads.

3. 658.8 – Practical Marketing for Public Libraries

Susan Brown, Marketing Director at my library, offers up tips and examples of useful marketing efforts for public libraries. Since accepting the marketing position, she has positively transformed the Lawrence Public Library‘s social media team and strategy, helped in the recent redesign of the website, and in many ways, has opened the eyes of the community to what the library can really offer. She has some great ideas to share!

4. RA for All

I was introduced to this blog at another workshop. The blog’s author, Becky, who works at Berwyn (IL) Public Library and teaches at the Dominican University library school, provides “a showcase of the wonderful world of Readers’ Advisory (RA).” From her 10 rules for basic RA to tons of reading suggestions, Becky’s blog is a great resource for anyone who works in a library – because all library workers can be reader advisers.

5. Sturdy for Common Things

Rebecca Dunn, a children’s librarian at the Lawrence Public Library, blogs with images, words and books. Though it’s more a story of her life than her library experiences, she does share about her work at the library, including storytimes, crafts for children and book reviews of titles she loves. The blog is filled with amazing photography, great ideas and inspiring reflections.

Now that I’ve shared some of my favorite, what are some blogs that you follow?