About Blogging@NYPL

Welcome to the New York Public Library's public weblog, a new channel where a small but growing number of librarians are posting regular dispatches from their corner of the NYPL community.

With over 50 million items, and thousands of events, services and exhibitions spread across the library system each year, staff are faced with the near impossible task of shedding light on the many hidden treasures and resources on offer here at NYPL. In a sense, the library is like an enormous iceberg: the section peaking above the water represents only a small fraction of its total breadth and depth. This blog is an attempt to better document and promote this trove of information. Think of our bloggers as deep sea divers, swimming down, flashlights in hand, exploring the library's vastness and bringing knowledge to the surface.

What you see here is a very rough draft of what will eventually become a core element of the NYPL website. Our hope is to develop the blog into the latest in a long tradition of librarian-generated genres designed to publish staff expertise and help users navigate the library's breathtaking array of collections and services. Like finding aids, research guides, webliographies and pathfinders, the blog will be another powerful tool in our information arsenal.

Over time, the blog archive will grow into an enduring knowledge base, which we'll use to enhance and enrich the digital experience of the library. Posts will be peppered throughout the website, supplementing search results and tied to relevant location pages, topics and events. Imagine: having the wisdom and experience of NYPL librarians at your fingertips as you browse the site.

Please feel encouraged to engage directly with bloggers in the comment stream. To ensure a civil and focused discussion, comments will be held for a brief period before being published. If, however, you are interested in becoming an authenticated commenter, which allows your remarks to be posted without delay, simply sign up for an account here, or through the sign-up link in the upper right column on the blog's main page. It's quick and easy.

We hope you enjoy these initial offerings. Watch this space for further developments.

— The Digital Experience team, November 2008