RSS Basics and Beyond Tips and Tricks for Getting the Most out of Syndicated Content Ken Varnum Web Systems Manager University of Michigan Libraries [email_address]

Quick Questionnaire Who has heard of RSS? Who reads RSS feeds? Who creates RSS feeds?

Who has heard of RSS?

Who reads RSS feeds?

Who creates RSS feeds?

RSS Working Definition RSS is a combination of: Data Format RSS (0.93, 1.0, 2.0…) RDF Atom Data Interchange Syndication

RSS is a combination of:

Data Format

RSS (0.93, 1.0, 2.0…)

RDF

Atom

Data Interchange

Syndication

Really Simple Syndication Syndication is key element It enables you -- your library -- to make your content available to anyone to use. News Events Book lists Study guides Etc. It puts you on par with the AP or Reuters

Syndication is key element

It enables you -- your library -- to make your content available to anyone to use.

News

Events

Book lists

Study guides

Etc.

It puts you on par with the AP or Reuters

RSS is Everywhere

Where Does RSS Come From? Automatically Generated Weblog software (Movable Type, TypePad, Bloglines, Wordpress, etc.) Content management systems (i.e., Wikis) Using Perl, PHP, Ruby, etc. Create feeds from database searches By Hand If you know HTML you can learn RSS

Automatically Generated

Weblog software (Movable Type, TypePad, Bloglines, Wordpress, etc.)

Content management systems (i.e., Wikis)

Using Perl, PHP, Ruby, etc.

Create feeds from database searches

By Hand

If you know HTML you can learn RSS

Finding Feeds Look for icons on page Look for icons in browser location bar If you can find the link, you can use the content. Some conditions apply. See copyright holder for details.

Look for icons on page

Look for icons in browser location bar

If you can find the link, you can use the content. Some conditions apply. See copyright holder for details.

Consuming RSS All tools have common traits Access RSS Feeds Track what a user has already read Reproduce feed content Link to original source

All tools have common traits

Access RSS Feeds

Track what a user has already read

Reproduce feed content

Link to original source

Consuming RSS: Readers PC-Based -- tied to a particular computer Special Applications FeedDemon FeedReader NetNewsWire Web Browsers Safari IE7 Firefox

PC-Based -- tied to a particular computer

Special Applications

FeedDemon

FeedReader

NetNewsWire

Web Browsers

Safari

IE7

Firefox

Consuming RSS: Aggregators Web-based Access anywhere Examples Yahoo! Bloglines Google Reader Even read off-line

Web-based

Access anywhere

Examples

Yahoo!

Bloglines

Google Reader

Even read off-line

Consuming RSS: Integration RSS is just a stream of information Easy to integrate into a web page Many tools have ‘hooks’ to hang RSS on: Weblog software Content magement Wiki software, etc., etc., etc. But if you’re using good ol’ HTML Feed2JS RSS2HTML

RSS is just a stream of information

Easy to integrate into a web page

Many tools have ‘hooks’ to hang RSS on:

Weblog software

Content magement

Wiki software, etc., etc., etc.

But if you’re using good ol’ HTML

Feed2JS

RSS2HTML

It’s This Easy Go to http://feed2js.org Click “Build” Paste in a feed URL (www.loc.gov/rss/pao/news.xml) Click “Generate JavaScript” Copy 4 lines of HTML onto the page you want it to appear

Go to http://feed2js.org

Click “Build”

Paste in a feed URL (www.loc.gov/rss/pao/news.xml)

Click “Generate JavaScript”

Copy 4 lines of HTML onto the page you want it to appear

Demonstration

It’s Wednesday Afternoon. Do You Know Where Your Feeds Are? ??? Photo: Chris Moore (http://www.flickr.com/people/ckwmoore/)

What Libraries are Doing Outward-facing Information for patrons Information for community Information for selves

Outward-facing

Information for patrons

Information for community

Information for selves

Create “Live” Subject Guides del.icio.us lets you ‘tag’ web sites Create an account for your library Librarians (or patrons!) tag web pages that make sense History Events People As librarians find web sites that are interesting and fit a subject guide, tag them

del.icio.us lets you ‘tag’ web sites

Create an account for your library

Librarians (or patrons!) tag web pages that make sense

History

Events

People

As librarians find web sites that are interesting and fit a subject guide, tag them

Subscribe to RSS Feed Every del.icio.us tag has an RSS Feed Example: http://del.icio.us/rss/CityPublic_History Put it in a ‘what’s new’ section on a subject guide -- with Feed2JS or other

Every del.icio.us tag has an RSS Feed

Example: http://del.icio.us/rss/CityPublic_History

Put it in a ‘what’s new’ section on a subject guide -- with Feed2JS or other

del.icio.us result

New Book Lists Many OPACs can provide RSS feeds New books Items on hold Catalog searches If your OPAC does not Do it yourself Talk to your vendor!

Many OPACs can provide RSS feeds

New books

Items on hold

Catalog searches

If your OPAC does not

Do it yourself

Talk to your vendor!

Cambridge (Ontario)

Books Checked Out Your OPAC might do this on its own But probably not Try LibraryElf 3rd party service Works with some, but not all, vendors Patron sets up, not you Requires borrower info & potential privacy concerns -- but at patron discretion No library intervention needed

Your OPAC might do this on its own

But probably not

Try LibraryElf

3rd party service

Works with some, but not all, vendors

Patron sets up, not you

Requires borrower info & potential privacy concerns -- but at patron discretion

No library intervention needed

LibraryElf

Ohio Patrons Are There Akron-Summit County Public Library Ashtabula County District Library Bristol Public Library Champaign County Library Clark County Public Library Clermont County Public Library Columbus Metropolitan Library Community Library Cuyahoga County Public Library Dayton Metro Library Delaware County District Library Franklin-Springboro Public Library Geauga County Public Library Girard Public Library Grand Valley Library Grandview Heights Public Library Greene County Public Library Harbor-Topky Memorial Library Henderson Memorial Library Hubbard Public Library Kingsville Public Library Kinsman Free Public Library Lane Public Library Lorain Public Library System Mansfield/Richland County Public Library Mary L Cook Public Library McKinley Memorial Library Mentor Public Library New Carlisle Public Library Newton Falls Public Library Portage County District Library Preble County District Library Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County Rock Creek Public Library Tipp City Public Library Twinsburg Public Library Upper Arlington Public Library Washington-Centerville Public Library Way Public Library Westerville Public Library Westlake Porter Public Library Worch Memorial Public Library Wright Memorial Public Library

Akron-Summit County Public Library

Ashtabula County District Library

Bristol Public Library

Champaign County Library

Clark County Public Library

Clermont County Public Library

Columbus Metropolitan Library

Community Library

Cuyahoga County Public Library

Dayton Metro Library

Delaware County District Library

Franklin-Springboro Public Library

Geauga County Public Library

Girard Public Library

Grand Valley Library

Grandview Heights Public Library

Greene County Public Library

Harbor-Topky Memorial Library

Henderson Memorial Library

Hubbard Public Library

Kingsville Public Library

Kinsman Free Public Library

Lane Public Library

Lorain Public Library System

Mansfield/Richland County Public Library

Mary L Cook Public Library

McKinley Memorial Library

Mentor Public Library

New Carlisle Public Library

Newton Falls Public Library

Portage County District Library

Preble County District Library

Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County

Rock Creek Public Library

Tipp City Public Library

Twinsburg Public Library

Upper Arlington Public Library

Washington-Centerville Public Library

Way Public Library

Westerville Public Library

Westlake Porter Public Library

Worch Memorial Public Library

Wright Memorial Public Library

Monitoring the Web How do you know when a web page changes? New journal issue? New report from the county board? Monitoring tools check sites for you Google Alerts watches topics Page2RSS watches pages

How do you know when a web page changes?

New journal issue?

New report from the county board?

Monitoring tools check sites for you

Google Alerts watches topics

Page2RSS watches pages

Page2RSS Enter any web page URL RSS feed is updated as the page changes Page2RSS for the Library 2.0 links page http://page2rss.com/page/rss?url=library.osu.edu/sites/Seminar2-0/links.php Or simply http://tinyurl.com/ysx4kd

Enter any web page URL

RSS feed is updated as the page changes

Page2RSS for the Library 2.0 links page

http://page2rss.com/page/rss?url=library.osu.edu/sites/Seminar2-0/links.php

Or simply http://tinyurl.com/ysx4kd

Page2RSS

Roll Your Own RSS Several ways to get an RSS feed Write one by hand Set up a (free) blog Write a script yourself (if you have a Perl/PHP/Ruby person) Use a service like FeedXS

Several ways to get an RSS feed

Write one by hand

Set up a (free) blog

Write a script yourself (if you have a Perl/PHP/Ruby person)

Use a service like FeedXS

FeedXs http://www.feedxs.com/ Create a feed Add items to it Put them here, there, or everywhere http://kenvarnum.feedxs.com/Library20.rss

http://www.feedxs.com/

Create a feed

Add items to it

Put them here, there, or everywhere

http://kenvarnum.feedxs.com/Library20.rss

FeedXs Demo

Beyond the Basics Mostly talked about existing services that you can leverage Now turn to some more advanced topics Search = Feed Using RSS to get to your patrons where they “live”

Mostly talked about existing services that you can leverage

Now turn to some more advanced topics

Search = Feed

Using RSS to get to your patrons where they “live”

Database Searching Academic example: Faculty Publications Homegrown database to collect info You may have similar things you track

Academic example: Faculty Publications

Homegrown database to collect info

You may have similar things you track

Feed = Live Data Every search has an RSS feed User’s reader tracks what’s new RSS puts content on other web pages via Feed2JS

Every search has an RSS feed

User’s reader tracks what’s new

RSS puts content on other web pages via Feed2JS

Knox County (Tennessee)

Other Ways to Use RSS RSS can put library materials in user’s lives In academic library, course reserve lists Course pages Anywhere else

RSS can put library materials in user’s lives

In academic library, course reserve lists

Course pages

Anywhere else

In a Public Library Book lists for local organizations’ web sites Resource lists (from catalog or other) for predictable school projects Library news for local paper’s web site

Book lists for local organizations’ web sites

Resource lists (from catalog or other) for predictable school projects

Library news for local paper’s web site

Final Thoughts RSS means simplicity of sharing content Simple to create, simple to use Great tool for putting your library “out there” where your patrons are Flexible Very low barrier to creation or consumption

RSS means simplicity of sharing content

Simple to create, simple to use

Great tool for putting your library “out there” where your patrons are

Flexible

Very low barrier to creation or consumption

Thank You Contact Me [email_address] PowerPoint Slides http://varnum.org/papers/basics-and-beyond.ppt Weblog on RSS in Libraries http://www.rss4lib.com/

Contact Me

[email_address]

PowerPoint Slides

http://varnum.org/papers/basics-and-beyond.ppt

Weblog on RSS in Libraries

http://www.rss4lib.com/