Do you find yourself being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information on the internet? Do you cringe anytime someone says "have you heard" or "did you see what happened" because you have no idea what they are talking about? Then look no further! Feed Readers are here to save the day!
I have always had a bit of resistance to new apps or technology because I am a visual learner. I have never been one to pick something up and just know how to use it. I was not looking forward to learning something new; just one more thing for me to check daily. I thought it would be frustrating and confusing for me. Boy was I wrong!
I choose to use Feedly because "its clean and simple interface is a great solution for both casual readers who just want to see all of their websites in one place and power users who want to take advantage of every feature RSS apps have to offer" (Volvovski, 2019). I liked this one because it had an app I could use on my android phone and it looked sleek without a lot of fuss. Facebook used to be my go-to to get new information but I found myself getting caught up watching videos or scrolling through meme after meme. I wanted something I could use to just get the information I wanted without being bombarded by other stuff. Feedly allows me to build feeds specific to the information I want. I can customize feeds to house everything in one or have different feeds for different information. For example, if I want just current local news, global news and weather, I can add that to a feed. On another feed, I may have book reviews, book trailers, and authors.
Some of the blogs I wanted to follow are listed here. I chose these for various reasons but followed each pertaining to the library in some way.
School Library Journal: This is a must for any future or current librarian. It has articles relating to tips and tricks yo can use to rules and regulations that pertain to a wide array of subjects. SLJ is a staple for anyone interested in the library as it has all the award-winning books, roundtable information and much, much more. This would be a great feed to follow to keep up with current trends and new, innovative ideas for your library.
Letters to a Young Librarian: I chose to follow this feed, even though it is not currently active anymore because I thought there were some really powerful articles in there that would benefit new-to-the-profession librarians. It can be hard to find someone to relate to when you first start out. Most of us were teachers before and are used to a team environment, so it's a unique feeling going to just you. Some of the articles featured deal with the emotional side of things as well as offering advice on situational topics.
Teaching in the Elementary Library: This appealed to me because it has lesson plans which every new librarian will be lacking. You should never just copy someone else's lesson plan, but it is nice to have inspiration and get ideas from someone who has been in the library for a while. Most will have other schools in their district to bounce ideas off of, but I was always scared of asking too many questions. This blog gives you the freedom to look around and gain some fresh ideas. She also has some really interesting ideas on how to do basic tasks in the library from learning everyone's names to showing how every day might not be the greatest, but it's still worth it.
The Daring Librarian: This is a blog for anyone and everyone who has a want or passion to include more technology into their lessons. Her reviews and tips on how to integrate them are beyond priceless. It's hard to stay on top of every new and exciting thing out there but she manages to keep it fun, interesting and engaging. It's not an information overload and gets straight to the point.
Makerspace Library: One area in which I want to grow is housing makerspace in my library. I wanted to gain insights and get new ideas on how to better do this. This blog has some really interesting ways to incorporate more makerspace in the library as well as why it's vital. I feel the need to validate having a makerspace sometimes and this is a great resource to show the benefits of having one.
Sources Cited:
Volvovski, V. (2019, June 4). The 10 Best Free RSS Reader Apps in 2018. Retrieved January 26, 2020, from https://zapier.com/blog/best-rss-feed-reader-apps/
