How well do I know you?

Are you the library’s best kept secret?

If someone walked into your library could they learn about  the knowledge, expertise and special interests of your library staff? Could someone find out for example which staff member was a whiz with apps, which librarian was into Star Trek but not Star Wars, or which librarian knew the citation software inside out? Maybe.

Could they discover this without having to ask? I doubt it.

While we might advertise key individuals and their positions on the library website, the majority of library staff generally don’t share their individual knowledge, expertise or special interests unless someone asks. That’s a whole lot of wasted opportunities to build trust and loyalty with our communities, students and clients right there. And yet it doesn’t have to be that way.

Blogging is the perfect online solution. Blogging directly relates to LIANZA’s Bodies of Knowledge (BoK 4 now part of Cluster 2) as an important part of sharing our expertise with our communities.

Why Blog?

People blog to share. They share ideas, opinions and links in the hope that readers will find it useful, helpful and interesting. Below are six examples from New Zealand libraries to illustrate the variety of ways blogs enable us to share our expertise with our communities.

• Christchurch City Libraries shares their staff knowledge in both content and responses to comments from readers.
• Primary school librarian Michelle Simms gives some actionable advice on how to get the most out of Twitter. Lists are a great way to share solutions to common problems.
• The John Kinder Theological Library highlights items in their collection with substance and analysis.
• Otago Boys’ High School Librarian Lynn Vare keeps her readers interested by sharing a story they can relate to.
• Auckland Libraries’ PopculturAL makes their content easy to read by using headings, short sentences, paragraphs and (often numbered) bullet points.
• CPIT Library shares useful resources by linking to them. This reinforces the message they are trying to convey and also offers readers a wealth of information, should they need to find out more about a particular subject.

What do you feel most confident and knowledgeable sharing with others? Let us know in the comments!

What Next?

Communicating Online: Blogs teaches you how to use a blog effectively as a communication tool for building relationships in digital spaces.

After completing Communicating Online: Blogs you will be able to help others to become more digitally literate by being able to:

1. Explain digital literacy concepts such as online identity, sharing and influence when helping community groups establish and grow their online presence.
2. Discuss the benefits of sharing expertise in digital spaces with teachers, lecturers or academics.
3. Share key communication tips with small businesses or entrepreneurs to enable them to reach customers more effectively.

Sign up for Communicating Online: Blogs today so your community members, academics, students and clients feel more comfortable communicating with others in online spaces.