New Concerns

We're back to school and have shifted the library link off the school website to the new site. However because it is not on the PHS server the library computers are not allowed to directly connect to the site. I'm not sure how big an issue this is going to be but may force me to return to the PHS district server site. I may be able to figure out with Cyrus how to keep the google sites interface but have it hosted on the district server.

That is the challenge of the week.

School Starting Problems and Solutions

School has started and so the problems with the web site build.

• A main concern is not being able to see the teacher reading lists. It does not seem to matter if they are docs or pdfs sometimes they just won't load. Other times they run a muck with iprism. I have put that one in trackit but will need to absorb some of the help forums for the rest.
• Favicon does not show up on the GoDaddy site. I've tried what the forum suggested about the GoDaddy settings. I even reloaded the favicon. I will post on the forum and see what people suggest.

Success:

• Added Analytics and had a brief lesson from Todd Parr on how to understand what they are telling me. Now know I need to test in IE, Firefox, Safari, and Chrome. Much of my traffic comes from Safari, which indicates an iPad or iPhone.
• Broke the page into 2 columns to get rid of the lengthy lines which are a big concern of James Erbe and other research we have read. Still need to be briefer and use bullets and numbers more often.
• Mobile site seems to be working. One teacher commented on its ease of use.

To Do:

• Add a calendar
• Add drop down links to databases.
• Look for icon sized database logos for sidebar.
• Add 50th anniversary slide show to encourage library visits.
  

Web Site Evaluation

Pasted below is the criteria used throughout the web design course to evaluate a site. I am going to review the library site and post my comments on how I have hoped to achieve each of the criteria.

Web Site Evaluation Criteria¹

Text

_____Consistent use of fonts, emphasis and color I think this is done well. I am trying to stick to the header codes designed with color schemer.
_____Concise - uses bulleted and numbered lists So far only bulleted lists
_____Does not use all uppercase Concerned about FAQs tab but think it is universal acronym and therefore can be uppercase. I had to adjust some web site name links because of all caps and will need to watch this in the future.
_____Uses sans-serif fonts (Arial or Helvetica) for titles, headings, or other short amounts of text I tend to use all sans-serif if not careful
_____Uses serif fonts (Times, Book Antiqua, Palatino) for body text Corrected body paragraphs to serif but must be careful and consistent.
_____Uses methods of emphasis other than underlining Tend to use bold and color.
_____Keeps line length to approximately 40 characters This is a problem. On the library home page I have a wide column that is at least 80 characters long. I like the look but know that this might just be me. I will work with my users and try to get their thoughts.
_____Utilizes left alignment for blocks of text Yes.

_____Uses whitespace. Breaks up long paragraphs and long chunks of text Working hard on this.

_____Includes a link to e-mail a contact person At footer of each page
_____Doesn't center everything on the page True
_____Doesn't overuse the bold option - keeps high contrast text short Headers all appear bold but I suspect this is not a problem. May need to work on controversial issues page and use of bold.

Color

_____Uses contrast Yes
_____Uses a light background to show off graphics and dark text for ease of printing Yes
_____Uses white backgrounds for pages which readers are likely to print All white backgrounds.
_____Doesn't allow the background to conflict with the foreground (text) True

Graphics

_____Uses graphics which relate to the subject matter minimal graphics, would like to use more
_____Limits physical size of photos as well as the size of the file to under 30K need to remember to check all when adding, gadgets don't count I hope (READ photo gadgets).
_____Utilizes the same style of graphics throughout site so far I am inconsistent, I use photos and clip art. I will question users to find out if this is annoying.
_____Limits the number of graphics per page to reduce page loading time limited except on READ Photos page.
_____Uses thumbnails when appropriate. Example: Click on the smaller painting to see a larger version. The READ photos and Slide new books display all do this.
_____Does not use distracting animated graphics and moving text I like animated graphics but so far have not used them on this site
_____Does not use "under construction" graphics" on the Web pages; all Web pages are always under construction No under construction graphics

Navigation

_____Names navigational items appropriately and does not use the word "back" to direct readers I believe this is true although I am not sure about the Information Literacy tab. I'll check and see how much use it gets and maybe delete or rename
_____Includes a home page link on each page Yes, on the sidebar
_____Reuses the navigational tools on each page Yes, the tabs and sidebar appear on all pages
_____If there are a number of subtopics on a web page, includes a table of contents and return links Table of Contents in Google Sites is clunky, planning on adding anchored links across top to some pages
_____Gives control to users - allows them the option of sound files and multimedia instead of using audio in the background and programming other ways to automatically download audio and video files No audio files as yet but some embedded video. May consider just linking to videos in future.
_____Includes a site map or visual outline to help site readers find information Yes
_____Does not leave users at a dead end - gives them a way to get back to previous pages.Would like to incorporate a better bread crumb trail. Will look into sites help for how to do this as the number of pages expand.

¹Adapted from Web Page Design Guidelines
Used with permission from Nicholle Stone, University of Wisconsin-Stout

Week 4 - Publish and Comments

This was the week that we were to publish our site and here the comments from classmates and professor. My blog went up with 5 pages as required. I am going to copy the comments from the discussion forum below. Professor Erbe sent me his comments in an audio file and I will try to include it as well.

Comment from Mary Sue:

Katherine, very nice site. I like the Wordle banner; it has a nice welcoming feel. I also like the GoAnimate. I had not heard of this program and I’m anxious to try it. I’m always looking for new ways to get my students to show their work through technology. I am not familiar with the slide.com presentation tool you have showing your new books. Could you tell me a little about that? Is it free, is it easy to use? Did you have to find the book covers and add them?

I wonder if it is redundant to have the databases listed on the side when you have a link across the top for them? When clicked on that link I saw that you didn’t have them all listed there. Do you plan on doing that at some point? I do like the use of the table and the annotations and links for help.

I love the Read posters!!!! What a great idea. You really have a great start here.

MarySue

Comment from Jennine:

Such a great start! There is so much I like about it, but I think the best is your placement of materials on the front page. My worst problem is sticking things 3 clicks in from the front page, and I worry about people getting tired of that many clicks. Thanks for the look!

I LOVE the "web worthy" spotlight--the old HS site used the words "web 2.0 tools" to highlight new to us web tools, and that wasn't interesting. This is a phrase I will place on my own.

Week 3 - Getting to Work

This week I spent 28 hours actually designing the look fo the site. I am not happy yet but have learned a lot.

• thanks to professor Jim Erbe for steering me to a group of web tutorials and website specifically on designing with google sites. The site is Google Sites Web Design.

Two of the things I learned that I incorporated right away were how to create a favicon and upload it to google sites. See for details: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNTmfab-hXc&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Also, I was directed to a site for planning site colors: http://colorschemedesigner.com/. This helped me determine web friendly as well as artistically appealing color combinations. I came up with the colors for tabs, links and heading sizes. Here are the colors I plan to use throughout:
Unfortunately, I have not as yet figured out how within google sites management to set up heading colors across the site. I shall bring it up in our discussion forum.

Week 2 - Designing Your Website

The final project for the course is a 5 page web site. To get started we need a plan. This week we reviewed ways of planning out the web site. Some suggestions included:

• a storyboard: 2 examples & instructions http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/authoring/studio/guidebook/storyboard.html and http://accad.osu.edu/womenandtech/Storyboard%20Resource/
• a graphic organizer like Inspiration or use a word processor to create similar
• sketching out the site
• using a web site planning worksheet

Also suggested was a visit to other library web sites. The link to school-libraries.net was given for examples.
Finally, we were left with an article by Jennifer Kymin Top Tips to a Great Web Page that reminded us of the following:

1. Know your audience and keep them in mind when you design your site.
2. Keep pages short. Eliminate as much scrolling as possible.
3. Use tables of contents. Like side bars.
4. Keep images small. People get upset if they have to wait long for downloaded images.
5. Use web safe colors.
   
6. Minimize text.
7. Use a spell checker.
8. Make sure to check for working links regularly.
9. Annotate links.
10. Provide contact information on all pages

My first attempt at reorganizing the library web site:

Week One Readings - Part 2

Each of the links below will take you to an excellent article on what constitutes a good library web site. Skim them all, then choose one to read in depth.

The one I chose to read in depth is :
Ten Essentials for Any Library Site By Brian Mathews -- Library Journal, 02/15/2009
1) Promotion - "ultimate sales tool". Placement important, sidebars and footers easily ignored. Update content regularly so "people don't just tune out". A site that does not require updating at school is essential if content is to be kept current. Also calendaring time to update regularly
2) Segmentation - "communicate with our users in a manner that is most effective for them". Consider developing multiple pages to meet the needs of each of your main users. For PHS perhaps students, staff, and parents.
3) Visual Clues - use icons to break up the monotony of text. This seems at odds to some of the articles that suggest you limit graphics to just what is essential. Perhaps this is a revision from older web site design criteria.
4) Inspiring Photos - help people get to know your library by selecting pictures that show distinctive features, the personality of the library. Choose wisely and reduce clutter. This might be a good time to update the PHS Virtual tour. Maybe an assignment using Web 2.0 tools for a library assistant.
5) Search Boxes - add a search box to every page, perhaps in the navigation bar. They suggest a federated search bar. I only wish I was so talented or had the money to really make this happen. I can however, add a Google search bar for the site. I'm not sure if I want it to be on the prime real estate navigation bar.
6) Mobile-Friendly Pages - "The future of web design is planning for the portable experience." This is something I want to do this summer while developing the new design. I will follow up with the professor for some additional reading/help.
7) Feedback - provide a way for patrons to give their compliments, complaints and concerns. Post responses to feedback so that the community can become "more actively engaged with the library". I am bad about the evaluation piece. It is required for my TLC so this is a good way of going about it.
8) Redundancy - "People interpret things differently." Build into your website numerous ways to find things. Be careful with vocabulary, try not to use library-talk.
9) Analytics - install Google Analytics to see how your site is used. Look at popularity of pages and click patterns. Look, analyze and then rework regularly.
10) An Easy Way To Ask for Help - Make it as easy as possible to ask. Don't bury the Ask-A- Librarian link. "Meebo is great because it presents web visitors with a simple textbox eliminating the need for them to log in install software or click any further." Work on Meebo again with Mark Ludwig at DO.