Blogging the Outback :The GWAHS Libraries Blog

Don KeastResearch Librarian

Far West Health LibraryBroken Hill

The GWAHS Libraries Blog

www.gwahslibrariesblog.blogspot.com

Area Health Services Area Health Services ––state and metropolitan mapsstate and metropolitan maps

Greater Western Area Health Service (GWAHS)

55.52 % of New South Wales 444900 sq km 1.5 times the size of Italy 2.05 times the size of the British Isles 6.53 times the size of Tasmania

Some distancesBroken Hill – Bathurst 960 kmCollarenebri – Wentworth 1186 kmBroken Hill – Gosford 1194 km

GREATER WESTERN AHS

GWAHS LIBRARIES Far West Health

Library, Broken Hill (University of Sydney)

Dubbo Base Hospital Library

Orange Base Hospital Library

Centre for Rural & Remote Mental Health, Orange (Uni. of Newcastle)

Health Information Service, Bathurst

ORIGINS OF THE GWAHS LIBRARIES BLOG Need to give better services to

remote users Need for the GWAHS Libraries to

strengthen their networked services Need to seek alternatives to an

inadequate email server Inspired by Online 2007 !!

AIMS AND PHILOSOPHY Focuses on resources which may be

useful to health staff in rural locations An emphasis on free material

available both on the web and elsewhere

An emphasis on rural health and indigenous health

All library staff (and interested others) invited to become authors

CREATION OF THE BLOG Select a host Open public access software

(Blogger) used so that staff of all libraries can post

Choose template Begin posting

SOURCES OF BLOG POSTS List serves Newsletters Emails Library acquisitions of special interest Some contributions from library users Most important of all …. Serendipity !! No RSS feeds …. We’re still beginners !

FEATURES Monthly summaries sent to GWAHS

staff via email Links to GWAHS libraries from blog Comments invited on posts All GWAHS libraries invited to post Concentrates on useful resources

rather than a traditional library blog

BLOG STATISTICS Began February 2007 Average posts 12-15 per month Average hits now 600 + per month

RESULTS AND FEEDBACK Good feedback from users

(including remote areas) Much of feedback from areas

without libraries (Grenfell, Coonamble, Mudgee, Menindee, Gilgandra, Goodooga etc)

Monthly email summaries lead to increase in hits

ADVANTAGES Great way to reach isolated users Excellent method of collating stray

emails and miscellaneous information Free software including archiving Encourages a team approach to

information sharing between libraries Promotes a unified library service to

users Reduces overcrowding on email servers

DISADVANTAGES AND PROBLEMS Poor internet access throughout GWAHS

(40% staff on network) Often difficult to obtain useful posts Some pressure to keep adding new posts Rural library staff inexperienced bloggers User unfamiliarity with the technology (not

so much a new resource as a culture change !)

GWAHS LIBRARIES BLOG

www.gwahslibrariesblog.blogspot.com