Thing 17: LibWorm

LibWorm is a search engine for library-related RSS feeds. It tracks over 1,400 feeds a day, and provides methods for searching by keyword or phrase. It also allows browsing by subject, category, or tags. The creators describe it as:

...a search engine, a professional development tool, and a current awareness tool for people who work in libraries or care about libraries.

RSS feeds are used to distribute links containing headlines and summaries of new blog posts, web pages, and other online information sources. They are typically read using an RSS reader/aggregator, and provide a quick means of keeping up with new information from many sources, including professional publications. LibWorm acts as a reader/aggregator, so you don't need to use another program or service to visit the links it finds.

It is free and does not require registration to use, unless you are listing a new feed.

LibWorm only returns results that come from select RSS feeds that focus on libraries, librarians, and related topics. It makes it easy to stay up to date with the latest news and events from the library world, all from one easy interface.

For Thing 17, go to http://www.libworm.com/. Pick a few library-related topics that interest you, like OPACs or book challenges. Search for new postings and articles related to them using the Keyword and Phrase options. Try to locate similar information by browsing Categories, Subjects, and Tags.

Try doing a Phrase search using the name of your library. What did you find?

After you have tried LibWorm, post your thoughts and experiences to your blog. Did you find anything interesting? How would you rate the quality of the results LibWorm gives you?