It’s been 12 months since the launch of the Durham University Library and Collections blog. And I think we can all agree, a lot has happened in those 12 months…
By which of course I am referring the 57 blog posts we’ve posted. 57! That’s one for each week of the year. And, erm, some spare. And I think it’s fair to say that within those 57 posts we’ve achieved one of our initial aims, which was to use the blog to bring together in one place a record of the wide-ranging work we do across the various sections that make up Library and Collections.
We’ve used the blog to highlight open access research from across the university, to share what we did for induction, and to feature seasonal celebrations such as our Christmas wish tree. We’ve provided information via the blog on how to access articles off campus and our work expanding our ebook collections during the Covid-19 crisis, highlighted some of our newer purchases and what we’ve done to support good causes. We’ve used it to talk about our special collections, to feature our community engagement via the Oriental Museum and to introduce our staff.
Through these posts, we’ve also sought to achieve another aim: to illustrate that the voice of Durham University Library and Collections is made up of many speakers. We have had posts from over 15 bloggers and input from many more staff from all sections, keen to highlight who they are and the great work that they do!
As we’ve sought to build up the blog, we’ve seen our readership grow too. Last month we recorded the highest ever number of visitors and views, and we can now boast readers from over 75 different countries across the world!
Looking ahead to the coming weeks and months, we’ve got plenty of things to blog about, experiences to share, resources to promote and activities to highlight. Upcoming posts will talk about our digitisation services, altmetrics, a collaborative learning project which stretches from Durham to Jordan, and more introductions to our staff. So, if there are specific things you’d like to see on here – be it something you want to know more about or think we should be focusing on – let us know in the comments below.
And thanks for reading! At the end of the day (or indeed, the year), that is what makes it worthwhile.
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Happy birthday! Virtual slice of cake in thanks for all the insights into the range of work you do across Libraries and Collections (and more importantly, thanks the work itself).
Thank you! And of course, everyone should check out https://readdurhamenglish.wordpress.com as well to see all the fantastic research and news from the Department of English Studies at Durham University!