Library Director Louise Berry in Darien, CT, wonders what it would be like if newspapers did… well, all the things I think they should be doing:
How cool would it be if the local newspapers syndicated their headlines with an RSS feed so that you could subscribe to them? And blogged “live” from government meetings? And posted dozens of photos (all the ones that didn’t make it in this week’s paper) on a Flickr account, especially if there was breaking news?
These are great ideas! Why not take it another step, instead of waiting for “local media” to do something? The local library can be “local media,” as surely as the local newspaper. In fact, in some ways the library is better situated, because if it can break even on the venture, the library could probably justify the project as a public service. I’d jump at the chance, as a journalist, to go to work for an organization like a library (or maybe a school district?) — not as a PR person, but as a reporter who finds and shares local resources. Talk about a cool way to tell stories and engage your audience!
In fact, it looks like Darien’s library is on that track already.
