The librarian is: BLOGGING | Journalism Library, Columbia University

The Journalism Library Blog has MOVED! This site is no longer being updated as of July 2009. Come find us at our new location:

https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/journalism

See you there!

Check out Free Government Info.

This is a site (started by a few librarians) which tracks threats to government information’s freedom from “many economic and political forces,” and is also involved in raising public awareness about the importance of this type of information.

While you are enrolled in the J-school, and hard at work on assignments, it can be difficult to look at the bigger picture. When you do have a moment, or once you have graduated, here are some sites to explore to continue learning, both about the field and about the consumers of journalism’s products.

The Poynter Institute is “a school for journalists, future journalists, and teachers of journalists.” Poynter runs training sessions for practitioners, and also maintains a very rich website, with features ranging from analyses of news graphics and design, to journalism ethics discussions, to photojournalism galleries.

Poynter is also home to columnists, including the blog of Jim Romenesko, which keeps its finger on the pulse of the media industry, and which is the first blog read of the day for many in the field. And, our very own Sree Sreenivasan’s column can be found on the Poynter site as well.

Poynter’s librarian maintains the Resource Center, which includes bibliographies on various topics in journalism (encompassing web links and suggested readings), tip sheets, and much more.

The Project for Excellence in Journalism, a project of the J-school based in Washington, DC, conducts an annual survey, The State of the News Media, which analyzes audience characteristics and the economics of the media industry. The survey encompasses radio, television, print and online news sources, and solicits public opinion via the Pew Research Center for People & the Press.

You thought Housing Maps was cool. Then you got all excited about the Google Maps Pedometer. But the insanity continues… To keep up, you can check in with Google Maps Mania, a blog that keeps track of all of the innovative ways that Internet users are customizing Google’s maps with new and exciting data.

Romenesko finds an Ad Age piece which states that U.S. workers essentially take daily 40-minute blog breaks (Ad Age, registration required so no link). I’m proud to be adding to this new way to waste work time. But I’m sure you’re not wasting time…