Maxwell+-+S401

My name is Lauren and I'm a current S401 student. As I am currently working as a tutor and nanny, I don't have much opportunity to use social media in my work environment. Nearly all of the interactions I have with children I tutor or their parents occur in person, rather than by using any social media applications; I rarely even use email. I am, however, looking forward to finding ways to use social media in my future career as a librarian. The high school students that I tutor (as well as some of the middle school students) are amazingly connected to social media, even if some of them are prohibited by parents to maintain a profile on those sites. Many of them get their news through Facebook and Twitter, communicate with their friends through IM chat applications, or connect with their friends through their gaming systems. If this is the way the next generation is learning to communicate, I look forward to finding new opportunities to market library services and make more information available to users through social media.

When browsing through Google Reader for blogs that referenced library-related issues, I subscribed to the following five blogs. [] [] [] [] []
 * I found this blog interesting because it contains entries from several different authors, each with different library backgrounds. According to their description, their articles are also peer-reviewed, so are more likely to have reliable information. The blog entries tend to focus on current issues/concerns in the field of librarianship.
 * This blog site caters to public libraries, and generally focuses on issues related to technology in libraries. The blog entries discuss current developments in the field of public librarianship; the first selection of visible blog posts today deal with several aspects of buying/selling/circulating e-books, especially through Amazon. Many of the entries are highly relevant to discussions that librarians are having in their day-to-day work environments, so it is very applicable to one's personal situation.
 * This is one of the most popular blogs related to libraries on the web. It is written by a single author that currently works part-time in the library field. I chose this site primarily because it has the potential to be one of the sources that co-workers or library patrons will use to learn about the profession, and it is necessary to know what is part of popular discussion.
 * This site is designed to collect blog posts from around the web and put links to them in a central location. The subject material is extensive, and the site can be searched for specific information. This blog is designed to be a one-stop information tool, so is very useful for those who have limited time for their own research. Entries are generally driven by the blog's readers; suggestions for news stories are actively encouraged.
 * This blog focuses on library technology tools (especially wikis and social media) and the principles of freedom of information. The entries generally adhere to either one of those topics, though there are several other major topics as well. The author feels passionately about making information available to everyone equally and that information searching should be a collaborative process. This blog presents a unique focus that is experience driven, giving a much more personal tone than some of the other blogs selected.

I didn't have any difficulty navigating through Google Reader; I found it to be very intuitive and helpful. I especially appreciated the ability to find "More Like This." It made searching for library blogs a bit smoother, and frequently recommended a number of pages that I found interesting.