Presented at ACRL 2011 in Philadelphia, PA during the IdeaPower Unconference on April 2, 2011.

1. Achieving Subject Blog Success Rebecca K. Miller University Libraries at Virginia Tech ACRL 2011 Philadelphia, PA

2. Background Virginia Tech’s College Librarian (liaison) system In May 2010, became College Librarian for: Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise (HNFE) Computer Science Engineering Education Mathematics Departmental cultures and expectations of librarian Previous HNFE librarian(s) very involved in research and instruction Fortunately, I have been able to follow suit!

3. Supporting HNFE Teach information literacy and bibliographic management Work closely with department to determine collection needs (we also have a special culinary history collection in Special Collections) Hold regular (twice a week) office hours in the main HNFE building on campus Communicate regularly through subject blog: Notes from Newman: HNFE Research & Resources

4. Why a blog? Until July 2010, I was pretty much averse to the idea of subject blogs Worth the time/effort? Who would actually read it? What would I actually post? Can it be a very versatile resource? Willing to experiment, I decided to try it as a way to communicate with/reach out to my new, welcoming department But, I would need to develop it with specific guidelines…

5. In the beginning… Mission: prominently placed on header Aesthetically pleasing/well-designed Schedule: 2-4 posts a week Regular features: expert research advice, library news, tutorials (with Jing or Screenr), frequently asked reference questions, culinary history highlights, new books, etc. Link to recommended resources, showcase services, use RSS to pull in journals, blogs of interest Publicize the blog and its value Gather statistics through Google Analytics

6. http://hnfelibrarian.blogspot.com/

7. Spring 2011: Major Expansion Platform to explore library issues Library Day in the Life Guest Contributions Book reviews from VT Dietetic Interns Platform for instruction about “social information” Was invited to speak to a “Communicating with Food” undergraduate class about blogging, social information Collaborated with instructor to develop an extra credit assignment around National Nutrition Month

8. Usage: 7/21/10 - 3/23/11 Published a total of 125 posts (at least 2-4 per week!) 428 total visitors from 28 different countries/territories 878 total visits 5, 885 page views Average time on site: 5:18

9. Pros & Cons Pros Having a dedicated space for liaison communication, and MORE Having a space to explore library issues Using it to teach about social information/ media, and publish student work It’s fun! Cons Too much in one place? Too versatile? Should mission of blog be tightened? Audience seems to have shifted—most posts still written for HNFE, but seem to be reaching others Students don’t really read blogs… Are subject blogs “over”?

10. Feedback, please! Rebecca K. Miller University Libraries at Virginia Tech rebeccakate.miller@gmail.com 540-231-9669 http://www.rebeccakatemiller.com http://hnfelibrarian.blogspot.com