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I talk a lot about making sure you read outside of library professional literature, but it's just as important to read within the field - at least from time to time. I read a lot of isolated posts, and a lot of librarian blogs in general, but when it comes to my own part of this crazy profession (academia), there are a few blogs that I recently noticed that I read without fail.
Feral Librarian, written by Chris Bourg
I've quoted her here before, and I'm sure I will again, but really you should be reading her blog for yourself. She writes about librarianship, race, gender, and higher ed. She doesn't pull punches, as the saying goes. I appreciate how her sociology background informs how she writes about librarianship. (She's also on Twitter @mchris4duke.)
Library Babel Fish (part of Inside Higher Ed), written by Barbara Fister
Barbara makes noise about controversial issues, phrasing her concerns and assertions in ways that make me want to be a better writer. In the past, I've shared her thoughts about freshmen writing assignments (concerns I share) with writing professors and had productive conversations about the integration of information literacy as a result. I got to see her speak at LOEX 2013, and her keynote was a major highlight of one of the best conferences I've attended. (Find her on Twitter @bfister.)
Beerbrarian, written by Jacob Berg
Jake's posts always make me laugh and make me think. His post about surveillance and libraries is a must read, as are his semi-controversial ideas about interviewing. For the record: I agree with what all he wrote; I say "controversial" because he got a lot of negative comments. A bonus for those of you who love craft beer and indie music: he occasionally writes about those things, too. (Before any of you accuse me of bias because of the not-at-all-secret librarian bromance I have with Jake, think again: our friendship developed because of the admiration I have for him professionally, not the other way around.)
How about you? Which librarian blogs are indispensable and/or shape your practice?
Fantastic. I've noted that librarians with experience on hiring committees say that interview questions often include something like "what do you think are the major trends in [public/academic/special/etc] librarianship today?" These (and yours) are great places to start if, well, you don't know where to start.
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