Media Center Websites
Figuratively speaking, it is virtually impossible to find a
media center much less a school or district that does not have a website to
promote its goings-on. Our real world
has ensconced itself in the virtual world creating our own personal place in
cyberspace. And, while everyone from
Uncle So-n-So to Microsoft have their own websites, many libraries (no matter
how big or small or where) have jumped on the wagon for a direct course into
it. In a time where the uprising of
technology has made the physical collections of our libraries afraid and
fearful of their destruction and demise, many are embracing the technology
wonderland of cyberspace in what can be deemed a brilliant move. It is paramount and critical for media
centers across the world and at every level of learning to adapt to meet the
needs of its users. If your users have
gone virtual, so should you.
Media centers creating and maintaining websites allows for
positive PR and promotion in a digital age where immediate gratification and
access are the “soup of the day” so to speak.
Gone are the days of the card catalogs looming in the center of the
library or the “thunking” sound of the library card’s metal plate stamping your
number on the due date card. In order
to continue to be relevant, media centers must make themselves relevant and
advocate for themselves. Media Center
websites allow them to do just that!
For media center websites to be effective and useful, they
must take into consideration their patrons and there needs while adjusting to
meet them. A website at the elementary
school level will not look or function like one at the high school level and
these will differ greatly from a post-secondary counterpart as well.
As you consider designing your site, it is imperative to
know your demographic and their needs but to also realize that those needs will
inevitably change (and change even more so in the age of technology and the
click of a button). In addition to taking
suggestions from your patrons, it is also helpful to look at the multitude of
library site that are our there on the web.
There is no shame in gleaning ideas from libraries that are already
doing it right and doing it well. Media
centers are all in this together to promote a common cause so that they do not
perish as a relic of the old days and what once was in the face of a clearly
technological future.
http://schoollibrarywebsites.wikispaces.com
is an excellent wiki that allows you to browse through numerous school media
center pages. It also give you excellent
instructions and links to information on how to build, maintain, and present your
media center website.
While browsing through the various websites, I noticed that
some immediately struck my fancy while others left me feeling unsure of what
was going on. Some were busy; some were
plain. I determined that fancy and
visually appealing is not always functional and vice versa.
For me, a media center website should be:
- · Visually attractive and tidy but NOT overwhelming in multiple, bright, or distracting colors or photos (This is not a P.T. Barnum production.)
- · Simplicity gets the job done NOT 500 links to what feels like endless search options
- · Keep your basic search functions and OPAC on the home page NOT hidden in a link off to the side
- · Keep it updated and attached files current (We do not need to know what magazines your had available in 2011.)
- · Use social media as needed but do NOT make it the focus of the whole site
- · A photo or two is fine but do NOT overdo it – this isn’t Instagram!
- · Keep relevant information on the homepage but NOT a running CNN-style ticker about the football team’s devastating loss last week
While these are my personal style preferences, I know many
who would not agree and that is ok! I
prefer substance to style – just because it looks pretty doesn’t mean it is
useful. However, it is heavenly when it
can be both! To each, his own. No matter how you design it, the media center
should be user-friendly, to the point, and kept current and relevant for
users. What do you all think?
While reading your post, one of the things that stood out to me the most is the emphasis on knowing your demographic and clientele when designing and developing a web site for a media center. In my school and in my media center, getting parents involved is important in making our program a success. One way we could utilize our web page to help with the collaboration with parents would be to place a list of the books we have in our collection that are BRL to 350 Lexile Level since we know that the majority of our students are in that reading level. The parents can see this list of books and be able to have a hand in which books their children check out next, making sure they are the appropriate level for their child.
ReplyDeleteI truly appreciate al the useful information you have provided in your post. Unfortunately, our school is behind the technological times. We have only a handful of teachers with websites with many teachers expressing a lack of time and training as the reason why they don't have websites. I must admit, until I began the SLM classes, I was at a loss myself. While I still have much to learn, I don't feel quite as overwhelmed as I once did. My next project will be to create the website for our media center. Our media specialist has expressed an interest in having a website for our media center, but she is truly at a loss as to where to begin and what to include. The sources and tips you have suggested will be a tremendous help as I begin the process of developing -- what I hope will be -- a website to highlight our media center and help create new interest and support for all the media center has the potential to offer.
ReplyDeleteI so miss the "thunking" of the card catalog drawer :) It actually brings back very fond memories. I know you're right in that we must all enter the virtual world (even if it is kicking and screaming). While I agree that we need substance not just style (as you pointed out) I also think of a practical side. If the zombie apocalypse happens and the internet/electricity is wiped out, I hope libraries still have a hard copy somewhere in some form. Zombies or not, I'm still going to be reading and researching. If a website happens to crash, do you still have notes or links saved that you can recreate it? I try to save any information offline that I may lose. It's also not a bad thing to have some "instant" sites for newbies to start with to make the foray a little easier. It can be overwhelming even for veterans. I help train teachers to jump-start their sites and the ability levels are all over the place, just like our students.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comment about keeping the library website age appropriate. The look of the website I think can help with a student's buy in to using it, but I agree that the substances of the website should be that of useful information. A website can definitely sometimes have too much information or not be organized in a way that makes finding things easy. Working in an elementary school I could even see their being a benefit to sections that are separated by teachers, parents, and students. I know that time is precious and giving the teachers the ability to go directly to what they need would be amazing. At the same time allowing students to have some fun while learning is also important.
ReplyDeleteFavorite point: "If your users have gone virtual, so should you." -Adapt or die seems to be the mantra for many things these days, libraries included, and the website is the first line of defense. When I hear about something new--even a new book like Kristy Adams put in her response post to Amanda in Team 5, I go straight to the web. I Googled the book to see what it was about. Students are more likely to visit the school library website than the library itself as they have research needs for various classes, whether they are accessing it from a computer lab, ipad, or phone and whether they are at home or right down the hall.
ReplyDeleteSo, I appreciate the direct, clear advice you give, Carrie. So many irrelevant things are on these sites (football stats, really? Don't get me started on that topic), and the most important things are often sidelined (forgive the metaphor) or buried. Students need the OPAC and the direct link into the databases.
I also like Kristy's response--we do have to remember the zombies and the ability levels of adults as well as students.
You provided an excellent summary of media center websites. We are currently in a digital world and media centers need to be aware of this fact. I too believe that media centers should have an attractive, current, and practical website. I think that links should be provided for students that relate directly to the media center. For example, a link to Accelerated Reader, World Book Encyclopedia or any other website deemed appropriate. My school utilizes a personalized, reading website called MyOn where students can read books on their lexile level. Our school media center website should include this link. In addition, I think the website should include current events of the media center to keep parents abreast. I think the media center website should also include new books that are available to students so that they become excited about reading. We are definitely in the age of technology, so I think we will see a future trend where students are able to borrow e-books from the media center website. Finally, I think the media specialist should update the website every week or two. There is nothing more frustrating than accessing a website that is outdated.
ReplyDeleteCarrie, I really appreciated your article because you basically said that even though the library has been predicted to cease to exist in modern times because of technology, they are still around, still important and ever adapting to meet needs. From your article, I especially enjoyed the tips on creating your own library website. This is really great advice. I work at a community college and all that is on our library home page is a link to AVL and staff contact information. There definitely needs to be something done about this because after reading the information, I definitely see the benefits.
ReplyDeleteGreat points in your discussion about what media center webpages should have! Particulars I agree with are: keep your patron needs in mind, highlight what is important by prominent placement on the page, don't overdue the links due to limited time we all have, and keep it current. These things will be highlighted in my yearly calendar of "to dos" for my media center so that visiting the site offers a slightly new look and experience each year. I also appreciate Kristi's comment to have a backup hard copy of catalog... another "to do" item to add to my list!
ReplyDeleteI love how you said, "This is not Instagram!" I loved all the other points you listed for a media center website as well, but our school and parents do not utilize our school websites as much as they do our school Facebook page. This is the best way for us to keep our parents in the loop about the happenings in our school and media center. This could be in part because our requirements for our class websites are lax. Our websites are hard to manage and teachers just send updates to our media center to post on our Facebook page. Our media specialist keeps her webpage very basic with a few relevant links such as Tumblebooks and applicable usernames and passwords. Her Web Safari link is very noticeable and accessible from the main page. I feel like as a whole, our school's website needs some work and if changes were made, maybe parents would utilize it more.
ReplyDeleteThanks for including the link in your blog. I am not a media specialist, however when I become one I will maintain a webpage. Some commented on how parents don't utilize the schools webpages however they follow the school on Facebook. Many parents are unaware of the sites managed by schools. I think we as educators need to make it a priority to inform our parents about such pages and make sure they are updated regularly. If we do so we should see a drastic increase in the traffic on the page and maybe more parental involvement.
ReplyDeleteHi Carrie,
ReplyDeleteI think you did a great job with this blog entry! I have looked a many library media center websites and I can honestly say I have seen some really good sites and some that were less than spectacular. You mention not too many photos on the page and while I agree somewhat... I think that photos can be used to promote and show some of the great things happening in your media center - it just has to be done the right way. I also agree that links MUST be updated regularly. There is nothing more frustrating to a student than to visit a page, think they have found what they are looking for and click - only to find the page is no longer there.