Abstract |
In order to cope with the generation of web 2.0, libraries develop a variety of services and a blog is the most widely-used application of all. In regard to blogs, most studies focused on the blog services from the library’s point of view, leaving out the blog users’. Library service should be reader-oriented; therefore, it is better to examine the library services from the readers’ point of view. Comment is the most representative characteristic of blogs, which not only display the interactions between the library and readers but also expresses the opinions of readers. Lots of university libraries in Taiwan have developed blog services in recent years. This study is intended to analyze blog comments to illustrate library services from the readers’s point of view. Purposes of this study are: 1.To analyze the contents of university library blog comments. 2. To explore the library blogs and comments from viewpoints of librarians as well as readers. 3. To explore the impact of blogs on library services. First, contents of 80 library blogs (in 33 universities) were analyzed. In addition, interviews and survey by questionnaire were conducted to investigate viewpoints of librarians and readers on university library blogs. The research targets are librarians and readers from the top five libraries which possessed more comments on their library blogs. According to the analysis, articles which relevant to readers’ right acquire more comments. Reply to the author is on the top among various types of comments. According to the survey by questionnaires, more than half of respondents tend to obtain the latest news and information concerning library collections. Nevertheless, only a few of them would have willingness to make comments on blogs. Librarians indicated that the more comments readers post, the more librarians can realize what readers concern. In conclusion, libraries would need definite goals, informative blog contents, appropriate management and promotion, and supports from the library authority to provide effective and efficient blog services.
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