COURSE: WJ's Designing a Library Web Site

Re: COURSE: WJ's Designing a Library Web Site

2008-02-18T06:02:40Z

One other resource that I thought about - while not written specifically for a library, the author is a librarian who worked on various projects at NYPL -

Web Design on a Shoestring
by Carrie Bickner
# Paperback: 240 pages
# Publisher: New Riders Press (October 16, 2003)
# Language: English
# ISBN-10: 0735713286
# ISBN-13: 978-0735713284

My curiosity is piqued by your questions - are you embarking on a new web design for your library? Looking to gain additional knowledge through self-study? Depending on what you are aiming for, I might have other resources to recommend.

The other suggestion is that good web design is good web design regardless of the field But if you find a library web site that you feel is well-designed, I would suggest contacting them and finding out who did the design, the platform it is built upon, etc. Libraries love to share that type of knowledge so that others can suffer less.

Re: COURSE: WJ's Designing a Library Web Site

2008-02-16T03:00:26Z

> i.e. What are examples of the best library web design?
I think that this is sorta in the "eye of the beholder" - for example, some people like Amazon's site, but many web designers think it is poorly designed.

My personal favorites are from some of the larger library institutions generally, like NYPL and Columbus (although I just read that their recent redesign has left some of their patrons flummoxed).

My advice - find a site (library or not) and use that as a model, but be prepared for people to not like certain parts of it. My other advice - get "Don't Make Me Think" by Steve Krug if you want a short primer to web site usability and testing.

> Are there designated design types of websites that are best for libraries?
Hmmm, not sure exactly what you mean - I think you want a usable web site and you can make it look any way that you like (well, really that you can afford).

> Are there templates available that make it easier for
> small libraries to design and set up their websites?
Most web hosting packages will include multiple templates that can be customized for your site. Also, if your library is in Oregon, Illinois, Colorado, or Texas, you can participate in Plinkit - more info is here - http://www.plinkit.org/about - I would suggest that you poke around the partner sites to see various examples of the way that the basic template has been customized.

Iowa has a similar project called PLoW (Public Libraries on the Web) (http://www.statelibraryofiowa.org/ld/plow/stay)
and Kansas has a service called My Kansas Library on the Web (http://www.mykansaslibrary.org/).

Both Plinkit and PLoW run on an open source software content management system (CMS) called Plone. My Kansas Library runs on the open source blogging platform WordPress.

Also, more and more sites are coming up that try to make elegant design as simple as "drag and drop" - two services that I have played around with and found fairly easy to use are a) more limited but free is Weebly - http://www.weebly.com - b) more options but also a small charge per month for a basic package - http://www.squarespace.com/

> What are the design elements (i.e. tabs across the
> top, menu bars, colors, white space, length of a
> page, etc.
Hmmm - not sure - again, in my opinion, and I am definitely not a web designer - these choices are informed by usability tests and paying attention to accessibility and ease of use.

> What is the best terminology to use for patrons?
Here I can point you to an actual resource:
Library Terms That Users Understand
http://www.jkup.net/terms.html
"This site is intended to help library web developers decide how to label key resources and services in such a way that most users can understand them well enough to make productive choices. It serves as a clearinghouse of usability test data evaluating terminology on library websites, and suggests test methods and best practices for reducing cognitive barriers caused by terminology."

I hope this helped, but please feel free to ask more questions or let me know if I have just confused you.

Re: COURSE: WJ's Designing a Library Web Site

2008-02-12T02:08:06Z

Hi,
so far, I have not found a course about library web design that answers my questions (or books or articles, or webforums either)
i.e. What are examples of the best library web design?
Are there designated design types of websites that are best for libraries?
Are there templates available that make it easier for small libraries to design and set up their websites?
What are the design elements (i.e. tabs across the top, menu bars, colors, white space, length of a page, etc.
What is the best terminology to use for patrons?

Re: COURSE: WJ's Designing a Library Web Site

2006-09-05T23:46:52Z

There are two documents posted on WebJunction that may help you.

A "quick guide" to using the course catalog: http://www.webjunction.org/do/DisplayContent?id=13437

-and-

the technology requirements for using the course catalog:
http://www.webjunction.org/do/DisplayContent?id=13435

Both documents include an e-mail address that you can write to with additional questions.

Re: COURSE: WJ's Designing a Library Web Site

2006-09-05T23:41:10Z

Hi,
I'd like to sign up for this course, but each time I try I receive an error message. I've tried clicking on enrol now, both before and after signing in.
Jan

Re: COURSE: WJ's Designing a Library Web Site

2006-03-09T00:38:05Z

Great question. The course "WebJunction's Designing a Library Web Site" is free to WebJunction members.

The way to determine whether a course is free or not is to look at the wording of the link in the course's Enroll column. If the link says "enroll now" the course is free; when you click it, if you're signed in, the course will be added to your list of courses and you have one year to complete it. If it says "purchase" you can find the cost of the course by clicking that link--clicking on the link is not an obligation to purchase the course!

Re: COURSE: WJ's Designing a Library Web Site

2006-03-04T00:59:44Z

Yes our small library really needs an updated website. We have a person offering to do it. It seams expensive. what is a reasonable cost. I have not tried any of these classes yet. how do you check how much the class cost?

COURSE: WJ's Designing a Library Web Site

2005-04-01T20:02:21Z

Hi! I'm Steve and I'm the one of the moderators for the WJ Learning Center forum. I'd like to hear from WJ folks who have taken, are taking, and are thinking about taking the WJ's Designing a Library Web Site course!

If you've taken the course, what did you get out of it?

How have you used what you learned? What was most helpful? What tips would you offer to someone thinking about taking the course?

If you are thinking about taking the course, what would you like to know about it before you dive in?

And if you are taking the course now, what would you like to discuss with others who are taking the course?