Checking Out Bellingham ‘brary ‘blog
Bellingham ‘Brary Blog is part of the Bellingham Public Library’s youth department, in Massachusetts. Bellingham Public Library is using the web 2.0 tools and technologies of blogs to stay connected with their young adult patrons. The blog is used to keep teens up to date on the new acquisitions made in teen book titles. The focus is also on making sure these patrons know about the events that will be taking place in the library that might be of interest to them.
The blog uses a very a simple and clear layout. The design of the page is bright and colourful, which is always a plus given the fact that it is trying to attract the attention of the younger adult population. The use of images also adds to the appeal of the blog. For example the book titles advertised and discussed on the page are marked with their corresponding book cover designs, and the links in the navigation side bar all have logo designs and images as part of the icons. The overall blog design gives the page a fun and inviting feel. It is also quite easy to follow and operate. First time users can easily find their way around the blog. This is seen as each section of the blog is clearly labeled with descriptive subtitles. These subtitles stipulate the specific information that the users are looking at and simplify scanning the page for specifically sought information.
Although the Bellingham ’Brary ‘Blog is trying to stimulate interest among their teen members, there seems to be minimal contribution from the teen audience. The librarian is the main participant using this tool. After every book review post she encourages patrons to add comments and share their own opinions about the works, but generally there are no takers and her opinion remains the sole posting. On the navigation side bar the librarian also tries to get the young adults to participate in mini questions and answer surveys, and still there are minimal posts made by the teens. In the section asking them how they like the new site, there are even mixed reviews (from the minimal amount of responses given). Were those who suggested the new site be fixed some more asked for their reasons as to why they do not like it? Perhaps they are not getting the information that they actually really want. Although the site is still informative about new teen titles and offers information on up coming events and the few other informative features (such as catalogues and a teen writing group) the young adults are not really given a piece of the blog to own as their own. The blog uses a Sudoku puzzle as an attempt to appeal to the youth, although it is a fun and popular game, more ideas need to be thought of that will satisfy the information needs of the teen population. In the section of useful links, there are only a handful of links that are recommended. Teens today are extremely computer savvy, and if they feel that they can find the minimal (albeit important) information on their own, then why would they invest their time and participation in the site? Even with the book reviews, the teens have the opportunity to contribute their opinions after the fact that they have already been reviewed, but perhaps a group of teen patrons should be providing the initial reviews — with having the librarian’s comments as additions to theirs. It is generally understood that most teenagers get their information from their peers, not from adults. If these young adults are given more of a sense of ownership over the teen blog, this might increase their levels of participation and possibly more satisfaction in the blog.
