RSS is a powerful technology with a lot of potential.  It is currently for the most part the domain of technology elites, but if the problems of different versions, RDF-compatibility, and lack of feed history sort themselves out, RSS has the potential to become a great tool for internet users in general, and is already a great tool for librarians. RSS can save time for librarians in their bid to stay on top of developments in their field: less listserv emails to read, and no more time spent checking websites periodically for updates. RSS can help librarians generate web content that is current and relevant for users, with little maintenance or investment required. Patrons are served by RSS in that web portals can be customized with various feeds of current information.  Patrons can be quickly informed when new library acquisitions in the the subject fields of their choice arrive, and what the newest contents of the latest issue of their favourite journals are.  They can create custom RSS feeds based on the terms they search a library catalogue or article database with, which then deliver information about new material that matches those terms. Although RSS users and public library patrons are for the most part two different demographics at the moment, this means that there is great potential for libraries to further develop applications for RSS and demonstrate its value to their patrons, the public.
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