Some sad news came across the internet last week as Google posted on their official blog that as of July 1st, 2013 they would be shutting down their Google Reader service. Google Reader is--or rather was--one of the easiest to use and best RSS web-based readers out there, so there was definitely a certain amount of shock and confusion that has spread through the internet since Google's announcement.

There are of course other RSS reader options out there, the Lifehacker website has a good rundown of a number of current readers that may be good candidates to transition to from Google Reader.

In the meantime, you can retain your Google Reader data, including all of your RSS subscriptions, by downloading it through Google Takeout. You can then import that data into a new RSS reader.

The Free Library currently lists Google Reader as an RSS reader option on our website to access our RSS news feeds, such as our Author Events, Podcasts, Book Reviews, Digital Collections, and this blog. We'll be testing out some of the Google Reader replacement options currently available and make a blog announcement with recommendations before Google Reader shuts down in July.

Google Reader 2005 - 2013 R.I.P.  : (