I’ve pulled the previous entries into one alphabetical list, with a few categories. Will be back later with more detailed discussion of what I’ve learned by doing this. And, as always, if you know of other librarian blogs, let me know and I’ll add them in!
Institutional Library Blogs / Professional Group Blogs
Appears to be the blog of the Reid Kerr College library, or someone related to the Library, but unable to confirm as it doesn’t have any ‘about’ section that I can find. Lots of posts about library topics, books, IT…
There’s a Google Group for British librarian bloggers! Unfortunately it looks to be pretty much unused at the moment.
CILIP has various blogs by either staff, or links to relevant blogs, available from the Communities section.
Varying levels of activity on these blogs – the PTEG blog has one post from November 2007, while Lyndsay’s CILIP Blog has been going has been going for almost a year, with at least one or two large postings every month.
Engineering Info @ Imperial College London Library
Regular posts of topical news and press releases from relevant Government departments for users of the Library.
English Library blog at the University of Chichester. Covering UC library service information, with updates on new stock and services.
Fade Library is the Library Service of Liverpool PCT. A wealth of regular health related posts, and a good sense of humour –
“Why is the library called the Fade Library?
As the North West Grey Literature Service we naturally ‘Fade to Grey’! Musical puns apart it stands for Frequently Accessing Documents that are Esoteric (if the musical pun wasn’t bad enough we suffer from librarians who like playing with words!)”
From the Chief Executive’s Desk
Regular, personal postings from CILIPS Chief Executive Bob McKie on library topics. This may be a personal viewpoint, but as it’s hosted by CILIP, I’ve placed it in the Institutional Blogs category.
A regularly updated site, giving info on events, new stock and other library news to users of the Galway Public Library service
Glasgow School of Art Library: Fine Art and Design News Updates
News for students of Glasgow School of Art, with postings about library services, print and electronic resources, and links to relevant news articles.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Library Land
A group blog for members of CILIP South East’s Hampshire and Isle of Wight Sub Branch. Not updated since September 2007 and may be defunct.
Blog from the Library and Information teaching staff at the University of Brighton. Mainly focussed on University course information / material, but a fair amount of general library information. Updated one or two times a month in general.
Blog from the LIS Department of the University of Worcester. Entirely focussed on internal news, but with very friendly and informal postings.
Who knew? The British Library blogs! Blog of Ian Infield, Manager of the BLs Business and IP Centre. IP / technology focused, with lots of nice, honest posts, with some useful BL info thrown into the mix.
John Gale at Bethlem Library produces “easy to understand summaries of research articles, all the latest information from the Department of Health and news stories from specialist journals.” Multiple regular posts with good summaries of relevant research and news.
Open University Arts Library
Open University Maths and Computing Library
Open University Library News for Science
Multiple blogs from the Open University Library, catering to their dispersed users through regular blog posts on topic specific blogs, about library services, training, and online resources.
Library news for users in Perth College, with posts about new acquisitions, IT information, and also custom sub blogs created by the library for specific student projects.
Perth College Library Webspots
A blog for the staff of Perth College Library, where they can share weblinks and information relating to CPD, initiatives and new resources.
“The SLA weblog contains news about the SLA and topical information of general interest to our members.” Lots of regular postings, but the format of the postings is a hyperlinked headline, which could become frustrating with regular visits.
The Information Services Library blog of the University of Northampton. Lots of posts of technical tools useful for students (and others), linking news nicely to course topics and educating students on developments in some of their favourite online tools.
A blog on library and information management issues for members of SINTO – the information partnership, a consortium of library and information services in South Yorkshire and the surrounding area. Regular in depth posts, and covering a wide range of library topics.
I’m not sure whether this counts as a blog, but as it incorporates many of those elements, I’ll put it in here with the institutional blogs. When launched, there was a blog section, but that appears to have disappeared now. The flake covers news of relevance to all sectors of Scottish libraries, and is a joint effort between Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC) and the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in Scotland (CILIPS).
The blog of Amanda Quick, President of the CILIP Career Development Group. In her own words: “As President of the group from April – December 2008, I will be blogging myself hoarse.” Blog was started in late March 2008, and already there are lots of posts on a wide range of library related topics. Another one I’m unsure whether it’s personal, or CDG / CILIP linked, so I’ve put it in the Institutional category.
Not one but 4 separate blogs from University College London – Anthropology, Communication, First Reading (currently on hold), and Library News for Artists. Each blog gives regular information on library and departmental news, relevant upcoming events, and new stock.
University of Bath Library: Science News
Updates from science subject librarians at the University of Bath, with information on new stock and resources.
Edited by Karen Blakeman, with regular posts on Web 2.0 topics. Mainly a bulletin board type of blog, with brief postings linking back to fuller source material.
What’s New On the CyberLibrary
Infrequent (2 to 3 monthly) posting on news relevant to public libraries and their users in the South West of England.
Individual Blogs
025.04: Michael’s blog – fighting library apathy, one Dewey Hundred at a time
Lots of posts on library issues (and an interesting recent visit to Bulgarian libraries!) by Michael, an E-Resources Librarian in Bolton.
He also blogs as part of a group for Signpost Libraries Blog, “Signposting you to book and DVD reviews, and online resources for your community. Brought to you by Bolton and Wigan libraries.”, although this seems to have been abandoned since August 2007.
A blog from a UK school librarian, with her “musings, book reviews and confessions”. Frequent postings on life, and the library.
The joint blog of Jennifer Vass and Davina Gifford, law librarians for commercial firms in London. Posts two to three times a month on library, legal and Web 2.0 issues.
Information Literacy meets Web 2.0
Blog of Peter Godwin, a librarian in St. Albans. He posts regularly on information literacy and Web 2.0 topics.
Blog of Scott Vine, Senior Information Officer with a London law firm. Regular posts on library, advertising, legal and Web 2.0 topics.
An Academic Information Assistant at the University of Wolverhampton, studying for a Masters in Information and Library Studies via Distance Learning, and focussing on technology developments, and enhancing academic library services.Regualr posting and commentary on library issues.
John Wright: research support librarian
John Wright blogs about life as a Research Support Librarian within the library service of the University of Wales, Bangor.
The blog of the Learning Resources and Information Services Manager at Nicholas Chamberlaine Technology College in Bedworth. Posts cover developments and musings about the future of school libraries.
Blog of Neil Stewart, law librarian at a law school in central London. Covers “Web 2.0, libraries, probably some obscure music and films, general thoughts”, with a couple of posts a month on these topics.
New blog from a PhD research student at the University of Strathclyde, (so far) looking at public libraries and Web 2.0 technologies.
UK librarian, living, working and blogging in London, currently in a public library but shorty moving to London University. Focussing on libraries and Web 2.0, regular posts and lots of links!
Infobunny in a law library, with regular postings on Web 2.0 topics, and weekly “Useful Tools” posts, listing web tools with a wide range of uses.
An Information Officer in London, Lore Librarian blogs on “library, law-library, web stuff, 2.0, and other random wafflings.” Regular round ups of library, technical, law and just generally interesting “stuff” in “Interesting Things of The Week” posts.
A librarian in a South Yorkshire FE College, blogging his reads, reviewing them as he goes along, and musing on the thoughts that these books trigger.
Blog of Kara Jones, Research Publications Librarian at the University of Bath. The blog covers institutional repositories, self-archiving, open access and libraries, charting the progress of the development of the repository.
Also blogging institutionally at University of Bath Library: Science News
Blog of Meghan Jones, working in the legal sector in London while completing her MSc in Library and Information Studies. Posts two to three times a month about “web 2.0, social networking, legal information, general shiny things and stuff that doesn’t really fit in any of those categories”.
Interesting behind the scenes look at Swansea Public Libraries, from the viewpoint of a staff member – the Central Library refurbishment looks fab! Hard to tell if it does have official approval, so I’ve put it here as a personal blog.
“Internet searching, web design, search engine developments and anything that will interest librarians!” Lots of posts on search engines, useful online tools, and anything else that may be of relevance to librarians.
The Running Librarian is the blog of James Mullan, Information Officer at a UK law firm. Previously called LI Issues or LIG Issues, The Running Librarian posts frequently on the use of Web 2.0 technologies by law firm libraries. It also covers social networking tools, legal and legal library stuff, legal publishing, and law librarianship.
Silversprite – the librarian at the end of the world
Prime contender for Most Remote UK Blogger, John Kirriemuir blogs about his business interests of digital libraries, digital gaming and online economics.
An academic librarian, working his way through a librarianship qualification, and musing on “Libraries, singing, comics, life”. Regular, often in depth posts on all the aforementioned subjects, but mainly on music and musicals!
Does exactly what it says on the tin – a blog with postings relating to teen or youth librarianship. Part of a larger site which is “the first website of its kind in the UK. It is specifically geared towards those that work with Teenagers and ‘the Youth’ in Libraries in the UK (and also abroad).”
Chartership Blogs
A blog recording the Chartership progress of a librarian in a Glasgow Further Education college, with discussions of staff visits, developments in the library service, and what constitutes good practice.
Musings of a Chartering Librarian
The blog of an Assistant Librarian in the Reader Services team in a UK university library, going through the Chartership process and using the blog as a record of this.
When I Grow Up I Want To Be A Librarian!
The blog of Katharine Widdows, Science Information Assistant at University of Warwick Library, working her way through Chartership, and using her blog to track this progress. She blogs about UW Library issues, and Chartership related events and activities.
Note – Some of these blogs didn’t come up on my blog search, and are taken from the links in this previous post from Enquiring Minds.
http://uk.dir.yahoo.com/Reference/Libraries/Weblogs/
Dumpling in a Hanky 
Great list Jennie! Very worthwhile, I think it would be really cool to turn it in to a proper directory, maybe like what Bonnie has done http://library.law.wisc.edu/wisblawg/blogslistpublic.htm
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I would love to, but I have no computing skills! I have my name as a domain, but no idea how to do anything with it, like put this on there.I know as a blog post this’ll get buried, but I don’t have the technical skills to create somewhere for it on my website!Gah.
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Jennie, we should work something out. You have domain name, but no web host?
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I think so – IT Monkey brother sorted it before going to New Zealand last year…trying to figure out Skype so I can sort it!I have the registration certificate, but as far as I can remember I didn’t opt for hosting, just wanted to reserve my name in case I ever needed it! 😀
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Thanks for the link Jennie. A list that has been well worth someone doing.
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Hi Jennie. A great list indeed. There are a few others that might be worth including though – I’ve got another 10 or so. Perhaps the best approach might be to create a UK Blogging Librarians wiki, which lists all the blogs, perhaps in the way that you’ve done, with some other links as well. It shouldn’t be too hard to set up.
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Umm.. went ahead and did it. I used PB wiki which is nice and simple. Jennie – you have email inviting you to be a joint author. Take a whirl, see what you think – if you’re not keen we can just drop it. If you are, we can expand it out to everyone who wants to contribute.
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A really useful listing, with a number of useful entries I was not aware of. A couple of suggestions for additions: the IWR weblog (http://blog.iwr.co.uk/) and Lorcan Demspey’s blog from OCLC (http://orweblog.oclc.org/). And then there’s our own Research Information Network blog at http://www.rin.ac.uk/team-blog.
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Thanks for the shout our Jennie!
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shout <>out<> that should read above!
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Jennie/Phil,Lets have a sneaky peak at the wiki
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Hi, just had to promote my personal Blog as a Reader Development Librarian!http://booktalkbournemouth.blogspot.com/
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I’m having a day off today, but I’ll nip back on to post a link to the wiki we seem to be going with for now: http://uklibraryblogs.pbwiki.com/
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Michael, I looked at Lorcan Dempseys’ blog, and although it’s brilliant and useful, he’s not in the UK, which unfortunately rules him out. The IWR blog is snazzy too, but it also isn’t a library or librarian blog (unless the bloggers are librarians and not stating that), so I didn’t feel it should go on the list, but totally open to being shown otherwise!Will add yours, and Vickis soon!
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