RSS Feeds (and Email Newsletter) of New Titles

Prior to our catalog upgrade last November our borrowers could subscribe to RSS feeds in order to see a list of new titles. Unfortunately, with our upgrade this feature was broken. Instead of choosing to write custom code that might possibly break again the next time we upgraded, we have decided to subscribe to a service from Wowbrary. In addition to providing RSS feeds of new items, Wowbrary also allows our borrowers to subscribe to a weekly email newsletter.

What does Wowbrary look like?
To see an example of what the newsletter looks like, click here. As you can see, it first lists the "top choices," based on its Amazon ranking, and then provides links on the left to find titles within a specific subject area. If you wish to subscribe to the weekly email newsletter, click here, click the radio button to choose High Plains Library district, and then enter your email twice. The newsletter and RSS feeds are updated weekly on Wednesday mornings.

You can also subscribe to specific subject areas via RSS. Click here to see the RSS categories (it may take a minute or two to completely load).

What's the Difference between Wowbrary and NextReads
High Plains Library District also subscribes to a newsletter/rss service called NextReads. At first glance, it may seem similar to Wowbrary but it has a different focus. Wowbrary's only purpose is to provide patrons with a list of titles we have ordered in the last week. The upside is every single title that Wowbrary lists is already in our catalog. NextReads doesn't limit itself to only items we own. However, one of the advantages NextReads has over Wowbrary is the bottom section of the newsletter features good older books that may not be getting the attention they deserve.

What's the implementation timeline?
This month we're focusing on introducing Wowbrary to staff as well as testing to make sure it works the way we expect. However, please feel free to pass this information on to anyone you think would find it interesting. At the moment, we're planning an official launch of Wowbrary to the public sometime in August.

I've had a lot of fun looking through the new items this morning and have already placed several requests for new books. If you decide to try out the email newsletter or RSS links, send me an email or post a comment letting me know what you think about it.