RSS - OLJ

RSS or Really Simple Syndication is an XML application which allows for the aggregation of subscribed content as it is created for a subscriber's viewing with feed readers (Bansode, Dahibhate and Ingale, 2009). This content can be distributed as a list of headlines, update notices and occasionally full-text content (Bansode et al, 2009). Requirements for RSS in XML are a syntactic tag for a title, a link (URL) and a description (Tennant, 2003).

RSS has its own universally recognised logo, see diagram 1 (Oxford Reference, 2013).

(Diagram 1)

RSS is utilised by many digital content providers. One such example is The Pirate Bay (TPB). Self descrbed as “The world’s largest bittorrent tracker”, TPB like many other bittorrent sites offers RSS for its various categories. TPB (2013) states RSS is a subscription format that gives you the option to instantly get notified when new torrents are added to our site. If you have a torrent client with support for RSS you can even let it search for your favorite series and automatically download new episodes as soon as they show up” (para.1). Another site using RSS, in a much more ethical manner that does not contravene copyright laws, is The Australian. The Australian offers RSS feeds of all their content via various categories including arts, various business, news, etc. Furthermore they offer feeds on their news magazine, IT and blog feeds.

In library world, RSS is used as a portal, a way of evaluation and recommendation of websites, filtering and customisation of information delivery and as a way of reviewing information in a succinct format (Bansode et al, 2009). These are all good uses for RSS by a library but library users can also indirectly benefit from the RSS use of the librarian that serves them. There is far more information out there today than any one person can keep abreast of without the help of an RSS feed (Tennant, 2003). By subscribing to the feeds pertinent to library world, a librarian can keep up to date on all the latest trends and success stories from the various feeds of others (Tennant, 2003). RSS could deliver to a librarian that missing ingredient they need to serve their community better.

Works Cited

Bansode, S., & Dahibhate, N. B. (2009). RSS applications in libraries and information centres. Library Philosophy and Practice.

Oxford Reference. (2013). RSS. Retrieved April 2013, from Oxford Reference: http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100407126

Tennant, R. (2003). Feed your head. Library Journal, 128(9), 30.

The Australian. (2013). RSS Feeds. Retrieved April 2013, from The Australian: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/help/rss

The Pirate Bay. (2013). Subscribe. Retrieved April 2013, from The Pirate Bay: http://thepiratebay.se/rss