LMC website, from Karen Kimsey

Karen is out of the country and having some issues posting, so I am posting her comments on LMC websites for her.  OPC

            Ever wander into Barnes and Noble for no particular reason? It’s a fun zone for readers and non-readers alike. Perhaps you need something specific or maybe you just want a cup of joe while you meander through the stacks. Either way, there are user-friendly signs beckoning you in every direction.  Maybe you want to buy a book on how to spruce up your back deck or you may have a school assignment that requires you to read up on a philosopher of your choice. You may just want to pick up a cool journal for writing.  The aisles are organized, neatly displayed, and clearly marked.  Sometimes, the biggest dilemma is which direction to go in first!

            In his article, “Building Web Sites that Work for Your Media Center,” David Warlick says, “People do not come to the internet to read.  If they want to read, they curl up with a good book.”  Turns out I’m a poster child for that truth!  A school library website should be a virtual fun zone for students, teachers and parents alike with easy to follow links pointing the user in the proper direction. 

            According to the articles we’ve read, several fundamental pieces of information should be on the website: Staff, contact info, hours, webmaster info, etc.  And every media center website should include information on the catalog, research databases available, e-books that can be acquired, and other educational links available in the district.  But while all of the sites may have this information, not all of them draw me in for browsing. Few will draw me back for a second visit.

            A good website includes those fundamentals in an organized fashion with clearly marked links. A great website offers more.  A pop into the media center website for North Elementary School lets the visitor catch a glimpse of the center itself through a slide show, shares who the library staff members are with their contact info, and offers a space for requesting new books or making suggestions for the collection. There are grade specific resources as well as catalog and database search buttons.  All are marked with a thumbnail icon that can be accessed with one click instead of just a blue highlighted link.   While many other websites offered the same information, the visual appeal that the links alone have makes me like it better.  This is a great site among many great sites.

So what makes a great SLMS website? 

·      The basics: School name, media staff, contact info, hours, access to holdings and educational databases are fundamental. 

·      Visual Interest: It’s cool to have neat little library character clip art scattered throughout, but it’s not enough on a blank screen. Framing the information in appealing ways using color and design makes a world of difference. Care must be used, though, to avoid designs that are too busy. It should highlight, not distract.

·      Clearly organized pages: A couple of pages I saw had links to pertinent things, but it just looked like they were all just thrown out there on the home page.  Putting like items together will go a long way to help the visitor find their way. (Just like Barnes and Noble!!)

·      Clever or specific wording: a few used academic terminology rather than parent friendly lingo. A simple example would be using “Research tools,” or “Helping your student with homework,” rather than “databases.” Every teacher in the school understands what the databases are, but a parent helping a child with homework might not know what the databases are or why they should look there.

·      Authentic representation of the school itself: Many websites have a wealth of knowledge to share, but I found that my favorite sites had pictures of the library displayed prominently, pictures of the students engaged in reading or interacting with visiting authors. Student reviews of the books available in the collection are another way to highlight our school.  Other ideas are including book talk videos done by both teachers and students, and spotlights on specific students for various academic successes.

·      Classroom connections: I saw several sites that offer links to grade specific unit information including printables, expanded learning, and even games associated with the subject. My favorite find, though, was on a site where the librarian had gone out online and found fun video snippets that would be useful educationally or just for fun. They are called “inspirational videos” and could be accessed by students and teachers. I have a friend who uses a great deal of video in his classroom curriculum and loved this particular addition. How cool would it be if the librarian helped him find those, or if he shared his with the media page?

·      Games, fun pages: While unnecessary for a fully developed media center website, games and fun pages were items I found scattered throughout that caught my interest. If I am trying to design a webpage for students to revisit, there needs to be something to draw them back.  One site offers madlibs based on the Harry Potter series. Another has games affiliated with core specific curriculum.  The draw here is that students can come in to play as they learn.

All of these aspects of a great website beg the question, how do we make our website even better?

            As technology connects our world into a smaller and smaller circle of acquaintance, should our websites become interactive? One Georgia school website (Creekview High School) offers a link to Social Media Presence with connectivity to just about every social media network I know about.  The continued rise of social media and its influence on our students has created a movement toward using that influence educationally. Should our media websites be simple sources of information or should they provide the common room for discussions that relate to education and literacy? Have we caved into popular culture by buying into entertainment-based education whereby we present information with a song and a dance? Even more important, are we helping our students to become deeper thinkers by providing more opportunities to interact or are they simply on information overload? All of these questions are valid and worthy of exploration, however, I think we are going to find the solutions are somewhere in the balance of it all. Regardless of the answers to these questions, one fact remains: the job of a media specialist today includes far more than organizing and maintaining a collection. Development of a school media website is a core essential.  It might as well be great!