Why have Websites?
- Excellent way to market library’s success
- Broadens clientele base, those who wouldn’t traditionally use the library
- Enables users to access library resources from places convenient to them
- To ensure a place on the Internet
- Beyond pamphlet information
- Guide people to resources outside the library
- Reach new audiences
Major factors
- Make sure you have a purpose for your site
- Why are you doing this?
- Will guide to content
- Present a consistent image
- Do you have to fit in with parent organization?
- How to get people to visit your site
- Do you want links on indexes?
- Load quickly
- Attractive site
- Easy to use
- How to keep people coming back or spending time on your site (be a sticky site)
- People stay
- Include a option to create a default home page for users
- Data and links should be useful
Planning your Website
- Why are you doing a website?
- Who are the primary audience?
- What are your limitations?
- Staff to keep site up-to-date
- Equipment
- What do you want people to be able to do at your site?
The Home Page*
- What should be on the home page?
- Must present the essential tools users need to navigate your site and no more than that
- Each item on the top page must be defensible
- Give a solid rationale as why it is there
- You may have choices like:
- Search the library’s catalogue
- o Do research on a topic
*Ensor, Pat. “What’s Wrong with Cool?” Library Journal Supplement Net Connect (April 15, 2000):11-13
- Use text boxes explaining options which appear only when mouse is hovered over the option
- Err on the side of leaving something off the homepage as long as you provide a navigational tool, e.g. site map, search function or site index
Essential elements
- URL persistence
- URL simplicity
- Contacting the library
- Don’t overlook the basics
- What to definitely include:
- Official name of the library
- Complete street and mailing address of the main library and all its branches
- Phone numbers
- E-mail address for general inquiries
- Hours of service
- Link to catalogue
- Description of facilities and collections
- Finding aids or gateways to electronic resources
- Directory of library staff
- Site index
- Search box for finding information within the site
Breeding, Marshall. “Essential Element of a Library Web Site.” Computers in Libraries 24 (Feb 2004):40+
Keeping your website sticky
- What is sticky?
- Keeping your users at your site for lengthy periods of time (effective use however!) and making sure they come back frequently
Methods for becoming sticky**
- An editorial viewpoint
- Up-to-date relevant content
- Building relationships
- Ask for feedback
- Provide forms
- Follow through
- Content with depth
- Niche content
- Building community
- Features, features, and more features
* Fichter, Darlene. “Making Your Library Web Site Sticky.” Online 24 (Jul/Aug 2000): 87.
Keeping the site current
- "A web site is like a cat box, you have to keep changing it if you don’t want users going elsewhere”*
- Check and weed links regularly (at least once a month). AVOID LINK ROT!
- Do not build a site so large that it cannot be maintained
- Add new items of interest, keep listings current
** Minkel, Walter. “Keeping Up Appearances.” School Library Journal 45 (December 1999): 27
Some dos and don’ts
| Dos |
Dont's |
| Write your documents clearly and precisely |
Overuse emphasis |
| Organize text so readers can scan for important information |
Clutter with pretty but unnecessary images |
| Be careful with backgrounds and coloured text |
Split individual topics across pages |
| Keep layout simple |
Link repeatedly on the same site to the same page |
| Provide alternative for images |
Use terminology specific to any one browser |
| Provide a link to your home page and your parent organization's home page |
Don't use the "here" syndrome with your links |
Use descriptive links
Provide signature block or link contact information on bottom of each page |
|
Lemay, Laura. Teach Yourself Web Publishing with HTML 3.0 in a Week. Indianapolis, Ind: Sams.net Publishing, 1996, p. 307
Suggestions for school library sites*
- Include links to
- Sites recommended for current assignments
- Announcements of special events
- Information for parents about library resources and activities
*Minkel, Walter. “’Tis a Gift to be Simple: Designing a Library Web Site that Makes Sense.” School Library Journal 45 [sic] (June 2000): 29.
Suggestions for public library children sites*
- Keep parents and other caregivers notified of calendar of programs and library events
- Provide a list of kid friendly events in the community
- Link to appropriate game and craft sites
*Minkel, Walter. “’Tis a Gift to be Simple: Designing a Library Web Site that Makes Sense.” School Library Journal 45 [sic] (June 2000): 29.
Criteria for evaluating web site effectiveness*
- Navigational characteristics
o How easy is it to navigate?
- Practical characteristics
- Visual characteristics
*D’Angelo, John and Sherry K. Little. “Successful Web Pages: What are They and Do They Exist.” Information Technology and Libraries 17 (June 1998): 71-81.
Navigational
- Provide a link to the home page and/or beginning of a group of pages
- Provide a link to a help page
- Give the same name to each link to the same location
- Provide links to outside sources or remote sites which are related to your organization or purpose
- Keep all links updated
- Make sure menus are understandable to users no matter where they enter the site
Practical
- Make sure layout consistent and user-friendly
- Use bullets and numbers for lists but not images
- Do not create items that look like buttons, but do not work like buttons
- Strike a balance between graphics and transmission speed
- Images
- Use no more than three images per page
- Allow users to choose between viewing or bypassing graphics
- Use images that are 600x400 pixels or smaller
- Banner images 500x100 pixels or smaller
- Make image files smaller than 25k, if possible less than 15k
- Background
- Make background files smaller than 5k
- Avoid text that clashes with background pattern
- Avoid Text that blends with background pattern
- Use only light gray or white for backgrounds, not black
- Use a patterned background for limited special effect
- Colour
- Do not use more than 50 colours per image
- Do not use more than four colours per screen
- Indicate actions with warm colours
- Indicate emphasis with bright colours
- Content
- Design the web site for content, not appearance
- Make the top 6 inches of the home page interesting and enticing
- Provide text at the top of the page so users will have something to look at while graphics load
- Put important material at top of page
o Include a what’s new area
- Provide a search capability for your page or site
o Include descriptive data on the organization
Visual
- Home page should fit single screen
- Keep the web page simple and organized
- Break up content with topic and subtopic headings or horizontal lines
- Make lines descriptive
- Include horizontal line at bottom of page
- Provide navigational options at the top of the page (and bottom, if possible)
- Use boldface and italics sparingly, never type text in all caps
- Avoid using multiple fonts
- Use white space effectively
