RSS

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds are a way of alerting someone when an update has occurred on a website.  It can cover new, media releases, blogs, updates on library new titles, training and changes in radio and television programs.  It is a way of keeping up to date with many different web places without having to take the time to personally visit each of these sites.

To access a RSS feed it is necessary to subscribe to the feed.  Once completed updates can be sent to the home computer or other communication device.

AIA has a blog that covers the Health Library Australia section (http://hlablogs.blogspot.com) which has a RSS feed.  This is an Australia wide section that is only updated at irregular intervals.  By having a RSS feed in this section clients are advised of any information that they need to know without the tedium of regularly visiting a site that has not been recently updated.  It also ensures that information that should be alerted is available immediately.

The National Library of Australia uses a number of Web 2.0 technologies including Facebook and Twitter and also has three blogs (http://blogsnla.gov.au/).  These cover behind the scenes, events and library labs.  Each of these blogs is accessible by RSS and can be subscribed to in the usual manner.  Again having the blogs accessible via RSS enhances the usability of the blog.  This is especially so with these three subject types since library labs has not been updated since 2009 and events since June 2010.  Behind the scenes is the most current blog and was updated in January.

By applying a RSS feed with these blogs NLA has ensured that the clients will be able to receive information of interest in good time and be alerted to any other occurrences of which they should be aware.  They are also being informed without wasting their own time on an irrelevant search.