Week 4 RSS Newsreaders and Merlin

I enjoyed this week of exploring newsreaders. I have set up a bloglines account and think this is a great way to keep up with all the news, articles, etc. that interest me - and they can now all be found in one place! I plan on adding to my bloglines account as I find more sites that have articles of interest to me. Of the RSS search tools, I think I like Topix.net best - it is simple and to the point, and focuses on the newsitems of most interest to me.

I have visited the Maryland Merlin site briefly in the past, but after taking a more extensive tour of the site, I am amazed at how much information is there. My first thought while browsing the site and seeing how much of the site is dedicated to computer training was how techie librarians are getting and need to be to do our job. Part of me was overwhelmed with how much information and training is available on the site - I feel that I can't keep up! And then I got excited when I found some tutorials on subjects that I really need help with- like how to delete data from an old computer, and how to troubleshoot Microsoft XP! Under "Library Success" which is a Wiki, I love the Open Face Office suite - what a great resource - I wish I had known about it a year ago! Having said all that, as important as it is to be up-to-date on technology trends, both to stay up-to-date with current access to information and to help our patrons as well, I will always hope that books remain a vital part of our jobs. It seems that information found online is expected to be concise, to the point - to me, a quick source of information. But I will always enjoy the more leisurely approach to research...finding the information in a book, or books, and then spending time reading through the book.