Blogs are sprinkled around the Ann Arbor District Library (AADL) website. They can be found from About Us, Catalogue, Events, Services and Research drop menus in on the top of any page, or by going into Services, where the user can click on Using the Website to get to a page with descriptions and links to all the AADL services including blogs. A click on the Check out all AADL blogs takes the user to an alphabetized list of blogs, all of which have subscriptions to RSS feeds.
Ann Arbor District Library Blog List
As the list reveals, AADL provides a wide variety of blogs, but unfortunately, there is no way to search the blogs by subject. They are, however, integrated with the RSS Feeds, allowing users to receive timely blog updates and sharing them via email.
The individual blogs themselves are simple in design, easy to navigate, and well integrated with the rest of the AADL website. The Library News Blog, for example, includes posts about “new services, products, partnerships and projects” with titles such as Family Time at the Ann Arbor Film Festival, Downtown Library Closed this Sunday, 1/17, followed by …and we’re back! Like most blog posts, all AADL blogs encourage user feedback by providing an opportunity to add a comment. Moreover, a click on the post titled Family Time at the Ann Arbor Film Festival, for example, shows relevant links to “Movies” and “All Ages” in other parts of the AADL website. A post titled Traverwood Branch holds pickup, also includes links to other relevant AADL blogs.
Overall, the ADDL blogs are useful, informative and well integrated, but they could be made easier to browse by including an option to search by subject.
