RSS Feeds
Intro to RSS
RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication and is commonly called news feeds or feeds. These feeds are files that allow you to see when websites have added new content. The perk about RSS is that you do not have to be actively viewing a webpage to receive its latest content. Instead, the feeder automatically "reads" you the latest news appearing on the respective website.
How does it work?
The first thing you need is a news reader or also called news aggregator. This is a piece of software that checks feeds and lets you read any news articles that have been added. Two popular news readers are FeedReader and Google Reader.
Subscribing to feeds
After downloading a news reader, you can then select RSS feeds. For example, visit Reuters.com and subscribe to the latest AP newswire releases.
Generally speaking you can subscribe to the feed by either dragging the URL of the feed into the news reader or cutting and pasting the same URL into a new feed in your reader.
Most sites use an orange button like the ones seen below to indicate their RSS feeds.
Library feeds
The RSS Feeds at Hamilton Library update you on the latest titles added to the collection. The eight feed divisions are based on Dewey Decimal Classification. You can subscribe to all or just one.
- Fine Arts
- General and Reference
- History and Geography
- Literature and Language
- Natural Science and Mathematics
- Philosophy, Religion and Psychology
- Social Sciences
- Technology and Applied Sciences
Still curious about RSS? The BBC offers a clear explanation of RSS and the following New York Times article by John R. Quain explains the development of RSS.
