In order to build a good, usable website
for your school library, you need to think in two very different ways. First,
you need to think like a librarian. What do your patrons need, and how can you
best serve them? Second, you need to think like a web designer, which could be
difficult if you are not trained as a web designer. According to Jurkowski (2010) “Recent
surveys indicate that close to 90 percent of school librarians maintain
websites” (p. 69). Determining
what should be on the website and usability/navigation of the website are most
concerning to me.
The three essential things I think should
be on a website for my school’s library are:
- Teaching Focus-The website should showcase the LEARNING that takes place in the media center.(Blogs, wikis, updated photos of learning/teaching, newsletters, etc.
- Student Work-Opportunity for parents, administrators, and school board members to visit your site to see what students are doing and what the media specialist is providing. Emphasizes your role as an instructional partner within the school.
- Resources-Provides the most up to date and relevant resources for use. Resources must be updated frequently and meet the needs of the students.
The three essential usability tips I
think are important for having a user friendly website are:
- Organization-Organize content so that users will be able to find what they need. Considering your audience is also part of organization, are you serving more than one audience (ex. students, students and parents, students and community)
- Navigation-Once you have organized your content logically, you need to design your site’s navigation to reflect that logical organization. Main site navigation should be the same on every page of the site, and pages of content should provide “breadcrumbs” — links back to categories or major divisions of the site.
- Content-Each page of the website should be clearly written, well organized, and readable. Use headings so that readers can skim to find what they need. Break content up into manageable chunks, and make each major topic its own page.
It’s true, many media specialist do operate and maintain the schools website. For me personally, while training was given to technically operate schoolwires, training was not provided on content. That’s why I also agree with your statement of one must know and understand what their patrons need and how to service them. Deciding what should be on the site is no easy task, it takes a great bit of communication, research and protocols put in place. I also agree with the essentials – resources being an area I like to focus on a lot. Great post ☺
ReplyDeleteDanielle, I totally agree with you on all points. If we have the keys to the resources that the students and teachers need, the site will be a natural 'go to' site for research and projects. I agree also that showcasing student work will give visual credibility. Many of the tools and social media apps discussed will ultimately draw students away from the media center site. Of course the design and navigation are what make a site user-friendly. That can be tweaked and changed over time as well along with other content and link updates
ReplyDeleteHi Danielle! I believe those surveys are right on the money. In our circle of media specialists, almost all of them are responsible for updating their website. Last year, I was only responsible for updating the media center page but now that I have a new boss, he requires that I update everything. I love to design webpages but using MS Frontpage...not so much. Today, I literally spent about thirty minutes trying to display a picture in the announcements section instead of posting it as an attachment in the announcement. I had to phone a couple of friends before I got a solution- haha.
ReplyDeleteYou definitely need to have a functional website for your visitors.The three tips that you listed, organization, navigation and content, are really what's required to make things work! Great job!! :)
I enjoyed your post. I agree that we need to approach website production and maintenance from two differing perspectives. This, much like many other responsibilities of a media specialist, require us to wear multiple "hats".
ReplyDeleteThank you for emphasizing the importance of promoting your program and making easily accessible for visitors to see the LEARNING that happens in the media center. We all know it happens every day, but unless you are directly involved in the media centers daily running, it is easy to overlook the valuable learning that happens there every single day by students.
The school I am at now (and the one I hope to work as the Media Specialist in soon) does not have an active webpage. This will be one of my priorities if I am fortunate enough to get this particular position. A Media Specialist that I respect and has taught professional development classes I have been involved with, Sharon Amolo of Gwin Oaks Elementary, has a great site. (http://gwinoaksmediacenter.weebly.com/) From my interactions with Mrs. Amolo, she encourages media specialists to promote their program- "toot your own horn". A website is a great place to start with that.
Websites are an integral part of the media program for schools. This is the best way to make your value as a media specialist and your program's value known to the masses. Our websites are provided through the county so each teacher has to work with the platform given. We have changed platforms, so no teacher at my school currently has working website. There is a media section to our school site, so I set up (I'm the webmaster) a symbaloo page to organize links the media specialist wanted to make accessible for our students. I like the way symbaloo sets up a one stop shop for helpful links. It's also very easy to set up and use. Once the media specialist sets up a personal page, I'll be sure to share the tips for adding her teaching focuses and student work to her site.
ReplyDelete