Blogs and blawgs

This week I was drawn to the readings "Who Put the Blawg in My Collection?" and "The Citation of Blogs in Judicial Opinions." Once again, we're drawn to another disruptive innovation in collection development- the blog, a document that didn't exist 30 years ago. I think it's a good idea that institutions like the Law Library of Congress are collecting blogs because they are documentary sources of communication and information. As we have seen throughout the course, the nature of information has become more digital and electronic. True, the creation of these new information sources poses challenges, such as citing and preserving blogs in judicial opinions. (I read another article by Lee F. Peoples outside class on the citation of Wikipedia in judicial opinions on my own which raised similar concerns). Just a couple years ago, controversy arose over how Congress was supposed to subpoena several e-mails in an investigation.

I think these articles stood out more for me because I've learned how Web 2.0 (particularly blogs and wikis), are changing libraries, and not just in collection development. As I looked for a library position, I realize how much of reference work now involves content creation for both patrons and librarians. Web 2.0 is about creating content- LibGuides, wikis, blogs, tweets, and database guides. These resources are not just about answering reference questions directly. Whether someone like me is pursuing a librarian position in collection development or reference services, knowledge of blogs and wikis and what they do is very important to have.

Of course, we've seen throughout this semester how these innovations have disrupted traditional collection development and attitudes toward reading. We (or I) started out writing how my reading habits have gradually changed from paper to electronic materials. Then we've talked about e-books, open access, and other items have changed people's reading and affected collection development. We can add blogs, wikis, and new communication to this list. These "disruptions" aren't going to end soon!

TS