RSS

RSS feeds have real potential to update both library staff and our patrons. I created feeds for a general medical news site (Modern Medicine). In the past, I checked the MSNBC Health page daily and forwarded pertinent items to faculty. Using RSS simplifies the process since the new items are "pushed" out to me.

I subscribed to the two course feeds to get comments from classmates and instructors. I can see new items as they are posted without having to go into the course site. Very convenient! I also subscribed to my own blog so I get alerts on any comments that might be posted.

The Pub Med search RSS will alert me to new articles on the NCLEX-RN exam--a hot topic with my nursing faculty. I couldn't see a way to do an RSS feed to a search on CINAHL but I did a feed on the tables of contents for Physical Therapy journals from CINAHL. We are having a site visit for inital accreditation for our new PTA program and I think the visitors will be impressed that I alert faculty to new articles in this way.

The next step will be to manage all the feeds and to show faculty how to use RSS.