Feed Readers- What are They?

I am not the most technological person so when I saw the words "feed reader," on a college assignment recently, I was somewhat confused. I realize now, however, that a feed reader is just a site that stores a bunch of other sites/blogs in one place so that it is easier for a user to keep up with incoming feeds. According to Lindsay Liedke, "every time a website you love posts new content, you'll know immediately, without ever having to go to another individual website again" (bloggingwizard.com, 2023). 

Having a feed reader site sounded pretty interesting, so I looked at various types of feed readers that are available to users. Some of the ones I discovered were Feedly, Feedreader, Inoreader, and Flowreader.  Although all of these sites seemed to be fairly simple to use, they did have some differences. The one that seemed the most user friendly to me was Feedly and so I decided to sign up. Here are some reasons why:

•  It is free! Users can upgrade for a charge, though.
• It is organized. On the main page at the top, a user can choose to look at feeds from websites, Twitter, Redit or newsletters. On the home page for the user, one can personalize his/her profile or can "explore" topics/sites that are currently trending.
• It is simple to understand. There are not too many icons or links to confuse a new user.
•  It has an assistant, Leo, which is there to help users navigate the site.

I am looking forward to using this feed reader so that I can stay more organized!

Useful Library Blogs

As a librarian, it is always helpful to receive ideas from others in the profession. I find it fun and interesting to look at librarian blogs. One never knows when the next great idea will be posted! The following blogs are some that I think are good resources.

1. A Kid's Book a Day   

https://kidsbookaday.com/

Although this blog is pretty simple, I like the fact that the blogger, a librarian from Massachusetts, reviews a children's book each day. She includes an image of the cover, a summary, the title, author, publisher and some pros/cons about the book. There is a heading at the top of the blog titled "Book Lists" where users can search for books by different topics such as "Grief and Loss" or "Back to School." Additionally, on the right side of any page within this blog, there is a "Categories" list where users can click on a specific book genre. This blog is useful for any teacher or librarian who is looking for a new children's book to read.

2. Library Learners

https://librarylearners.com/ (Main site)

https://librarylearners.com/blog/ (Blog)

I like this lady's website and blog because there is a lot of information available on a variety of subjects having to do with libraries. She spent 16 years as a librarian and now develops resources and online training for librarians. Although she does not post daily on the blog, the information she does give is extremely useful. Additionally, at the top of the site, there are links to a Teachers Pay Teachers store, where she has tons of stuff for sale, including a 160 page printable eBook! I like this site a lot and could spend tons of time on here!

3. The Lego Librarian

https://legolibrarian.com/?iframe=true&theme_preview=true

This site is run by Peter Blenski, who is a children's librarian in Milwaukee. He loves to incorporate the use of Legos within the library program. I like his site because his name is catchy, the site is inviting, and there are Legos involved! He has different sections of the site devoted to children and tweens, which I think is great. Additionally, there are posts talking about story time activities and Lego activities. This is just a fun site.

4. The Trapped Librarian

https://trappedlibrarian.org/  (Main site)

https://trappedlibrarian.org/blog/  (Blog)

This site is by a lady who has over 29 years in education, with the last 18 being a librarian. Her site is colorful and easy to navigate. The blogs are organized by topic, which a user can click on from the top of a page or on the right side of a page. There is a link to a Teachers Pay Teachers store, which is always useful. I like this site because there is a good amount of information but the user doesn't feel overwhelmed by the amount of topics.

5. Mrs. Readerpants

https://www.readerpants.net/

This site has a lot of resources for users that can be found through posts, lists, Teachers Pay Teachers, and a "Freebie Library." I like how the home page is broken into sections such as "Recommended for ______," which are items for sale on TPT that month, "Latest Posts" and "Featured Posts." Besides being easy to navigate, the site is really colorful, and the title captured my attention immediately. Lots to look at here!