Getting the Word Out: LISWire and LISEvents

Blake Carver (of LISNews and LISHost fame) announced two new projects yesterday: LISWire and LISEvents. In the same spirit that I would categorize open source, open access, and open knowledge, these services level the playing field for the publication of library-oriented press releases and announcements of events.

LISWire - The Librarian's News Wire

For the publication of press releases and other newsy information, LISWire is a service targeted towards the librarian community. Looking for announcements related to public libraries? Try http://liswire.com/taxonomy/term/24/. How about items about open source in academic libraries? http://liswire.com/taxonomy/term/23,27 is the URL for you. Interested in both announcements from both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations? Then look at http://liswire.com/taxonomy/term/35+36. Best of all, these URLs work in your browser and your RSS reader; you see the same content either way. I think we need some work on the taxonomies; I'm going to send my suggestions to Blake and Robin Blum (his collaborator) and suggest you do, too.

LISEvents - The Librarian's Events

Built on the same concept as LISWire is a draft of a site for posting information about events. This is definitely still a work in progress, but the same capabilities and possibilities are showing through. I think it would be useful to add a taxonomy for location so that it would be possible to see events in, say, Ohio and/or the midwest region; I can easily see myself subscribing to such a feed to keep up with what is going on in the area. And let's not forget an "online region" for webinars and similar events.

Congratulations Blake and Robin, and thanks for trying to build these services for our community. If they take off, they will be a real, tangible benefit for us.

The text was modified to update a link from http://liswire.org/ to http://liswire.com/ on January 28th, 2011.