RSS Feeds

About RSS feeds

RSS feeds can make your web reading and news gathering activities more efficient. RSS feeds enable you to collect content on the web from multiple websites without having to visit each site individually, and organise or republish it in a single place for your personal use.

An RSS feed contains items. Each item contains a title, some descriptive content, and a URL that links back to the original content or website for more information.

How do I begin to use RSS feeds?

First you will need a feed-reader (or aggregator). Like email programs, there is a choice of readers to suit your particular needs. Some are programs you download and install on your computer; others are web-based services such as Bloglines and Google Reader which are both free applications.

The other option is to use one of the latest browsers Internet Explorer 7, Firefox 3 and Safari (Macs) which incorporate RSS readers in the browsers.

The reader will enable you to organise the RSS feeds in your personal collection, for example in folders (much like an email program).

How do I add the Library News and Events feed to my reader?

Go to the News and Events page on the Library website

For Internet Explorer 6 browsers

  • Right-click on the link and select "Copy Shortcut"
  • Go to your RSS reader and select the command to add a new feed.
  • In the field where you are to enter the feed address, right-click and select "Paste".

For Internet Explorer 7 browsers

  • Click the RSS icon  in the top right hand side toolbar. The icon will be orange in colour if RSS feeds are available for that webpage.
  • Subscribe to have the feed automatically sent to your computer.
  • This feed is then added to the Favourites Center which you can view by clicking on the yellow star in the top left corner.

For Firefox browsers

  • Click on the RSS icon  at the end of the address bar
  • Choose a folder in your Bookmarks for the RSS feeds