Help with RSS feeds
1. What is a web feed?
A web feed, also known as an RSS feed or Atom feed, allows you to see the headlines of our latest news items as soon as they appear on the State Library of Queensland website. You can click on the headline to read the item without leaving your desktop newsreader or online service. You won't need to check the website again and again to find out whether there have been any updates.
Many other websites that update their information regularly (like blogs and news sites) also offer web feed versions of their content. If you notice a little orange button such as 
, 
, 
or a piece of text that says “XML” or “RSS”, those are links to a web feed.
2. How do I subscribe to RSS feeds?
To subscribe to one the Library’s RSS feeds click on the feed button next to the feed you want (or Ctrl click for Mac users), copy the URL, from your web browser’s Address section of the page that is displayed and paste this URL into the appropriate place in your feed reader.
Some browsers (e.g. Internet Explorer version 7 and Firefox 2) have feed readers built-in.
For Internet Explorer version 7, click on the RSS icon and click on ‘Subscribe to this feed’ in the yellow box. The feed is automatically added to the Feeds section of the Explorer Bar (Favourites Centre) and kept up to date.
For Firefox 2 or 3, click on the RSS icon, choose from the drop down list where you wish to save your RSS feed. Firefox can automatically save to ‘Live Bookmarks’. The feed is added to the Bookmarks Toolbar Folder and kept up to date.
3. What are RSS readers and how do I get one?
An RSS reader or feed reader is an application that collects and presents the content provided by a web feed.
There are many different types of feed readers to choose: desktop news reader, online news service, browser plug-in, etc.
A search engine search for "feed reader" for "RSS reader" will return many free, downloadable software options that you can install on your PC.
However, if you move around to different computers during the day, you may prefer an online news service. These work much like an online email account, allowing you to log in from any PC connected to the Internet. Examples of such services include MyYahoo [new window], Bloglines [new window] and Google Reader [new window].
4. Why should I subscribe to RSS feeds?
Subscribing to an RSS feed offers a streamlined method of receiving content of interest. Feed readers allow the user to aggregate multiple feeds, making the process of gathering website content more efficient. Instead of visiting websites individually for new content, feed readers monitor the sites for you and provide updates from one location.
5. Further reading
Many other sources of information are available about web feeds. Examples include:
- the practical How RSS can help you track twice as much news in half the time [new window]
- and the more technical What is RSS? [new window]
Or watch the Common Craft Show explanatory video by Lee and Sachi LeFever
More information
If you have an general enquiry, you can contact us in any of the following ways:
For general enquiries:
Last updated: 29th October 2009
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