Getting started with RSS

Many electronic journals, databases, and websites now provide RSS feeds which automatically notify you of and display new content to you. RSS feeds allow you to designate which new content you want to hear about automatically.

RSS feeds are frequently used by news websites (e.g. Himmelfarb Library Blog, Washington Post, etc.), but can also be used by databases (e.g. Scopus, Academic Search Premier, etc.) to deliver the latest articles based on your search parameters and journals (e.g. JAMA, New England Journal of Medicine, etc.) to let you know about newly published articles.

Setting up RSS feeds is a straightforward process:

1. Select an RSS feed reader.
2. Add RSS fees to your feed reader.

Here’s an example of how to get started and how RSS feeds can be used.

1. I selected BlogLines (one of several free, web-based RSS feeders) as my RSS feed reader and registered for an account.
   
2. BlogLines sent an email message to confirm that I wanted to open an account. After clicking on the link in that message, my account was ready to go.
3. To start adding RSS feeds, I clicked on ‘Add’ in the Feeds area of BlogLines. BlogLines displayed a ‘Subscribe’ page where I needed to enter the Blog or Feed URL.
4. The first blog that I wanted to add was the Himmelfarb Library Blog for news about the library and information resources. In a separate web browser window, I opened the Library’s website and clicked on the RSS icon for the blog.
5. When the new page displayed, I saw a lot of code in the main frame, but the information that I needed was in the address (location) area. I copied this information (http://www.gwumc.edu/library/blog/client/rss.cfm?mode=full) and pasted it into the BlogLines window.
6. BlogLines displayed some information about the subscription, and I clicked on ‘Subscribe’ to complete the subscription.

Now, whenever a new entry is added to the Himmelfarb Library Blog, I’ll automatically know when I access Bloglines.

Next: adding RSS feeds for favorite journals.