It was eye-opening for me to examine the different web sites provided for this assignment, especially since they are all geared toward different age/grade levels. I guess I am very much of the "elementary" mindset (even though I work with college students) so seeing and thinking about the differences for each grade was extremely helpful to me. That being said, I feel that there are "standard" elements that should be included on every media center web site: policies and procedures, hours, contact information, a link to the catalog, media center events, links to online resources, tutorials, and research guides. I also think that linking the site to the media specialist's blog is a great idea. If the school or media center has social media accounts (facebook, twitter, etc.) those should also be included somewhere on the media center page. If we want to encourage students to use our resources, we must advertise them, especially for older (middle and high school) students who are probably more apt to follow social media instead of visiting web sites. I also love the idea of including a sidebar on the web page that displays what the media specialist or teachers may be currently reading, similar to the one found on Buffy Hamilton's (Creekview High School) LibGuides profile: http://theunquietlibrary.libguides.com/profile.php?uid=9724 . This would also be a great way to post new or popular books in the collection and the media specialist could even make separate ones for different categories such as new fiction, new non-fiction, etc.
Now that I've mentioned all of the components that I think should be included in media center web sites, I must admit that I am a bit picky about how web sites are structured. It is my biggest pet peeve to have to dig around a website to find information or have a bunch of flashy buttons that don't make sense or are dead links. One thing that I feel is extremely important for media center web sites (and any other web resource, really) is currency. If the site created but is not updated over several years, it gives the impression that there's not much going on in the media center. This is definitely not the image that any media specialist or media center wants to make. I admire Creekview High School Media Center's site because it does a great job of showcasing its media center as a "living" place: there are tweets, photo streams of students in the media center, e-mail alerts, etc. Chances are if your media center web page does not get updated very frequently, students will be less likely to revisit the site. Just as in the physical media center, we have to engage and inspire our students in order to keep them coming back. The media center web site should be a reflection of our efforts to make the library a destination rather than a passive place without much new to offer.
I also love the Creekview Media Center webpage. I was told by my first mentor that I needed to go observe that media center for a day. I have included their website as on of my links to "exemplary websites," on the webpage I am creating.
ReplyDeleteYou make a string argument about the currency of the web page. Many others are saying the same. I feel it is important that the person who is in charge of the website feel comfrtable enough to visit it daily for updates. I feel not only students will stop visiting the wep page but maybe even the media center all together. We need to make it attractive both online and in real person to students and staff. Including Twitter pages and Facebook pages is a great start to relate the media center to the kids everyday lives.
I am also geared towards the elementary mindset, which actually caused me to think that some of the other websites were boring. However, I quickly realized that no teenager wants to go to website with Comic Sans font and red, yellow, green and blue colors all over the place. They are past the cutesy and all they want is information.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree that no matter the grade level the key features you mentioned should universally be on all media center web pages. That is information that viewers need regardless of age. I agree with you completely that the information should be accurate, if it is not, viewers will most likely only view the page once. Websites can be extremely beneficial if they are used appropriately, but if they are not kept up to date they can be more of a burden than anything else.
Stephanie I think you are absolutely right on each of the areas that needs to be found on a media center website regardless of the age level of the student. I am working with high school students so the content itself will be much different than that of an elementary website, but the bare bones should be relatively the same. I hope to make a website that helps answer the easy questions of my students, but also a website that continues to bring them back. My long range goal is to have vodcasts of new web 2.0 programs that will engage the students and get them to step outside of the typical PowerPoint presentation projects.
ReplyDeleteGreat concept with the term "currency" as I can visualize the media center losing value if it fails to show its worth! I agree, its frustrating and disturbing to have broken links or outdated links on a webpage especially when this is frequently the first impression of the service we offer. Conversely, it is exciting to see websites which host a number of current and relevant material for the students to utilize. I really like sites that have an active media center which posts student work from various grades and disciplines.
ReplyDelete