May 10: oxymorons, children's art, airline report cards, and more.

UNUSUALLY INTERESTING LIBRARY WEB SITES

by Marylaine Block

I'm going to be talking occasionally about outstanding library web pages. What do I mean by that? First of all, they should reflect good web design principles. When I look at a library's web site, there are several things I want to see. In terms of format, I look for:

• a clean, readable design that's easy on the eyes, with lots of open space around text.
• clear organization and user-centered navigation that directs patrons to the basic things they'll want to do online, in language they'll understand.
• stripped down -- users should be able to find out about all library services on the site, but not all of them on the front page.
• consistent design and navigation across pages, so users always know where they are within the web site and how to get to the next page they want.
• unintrusive or minimal graphics and the option of a text-only version -- fast download is essential, and reading machines for the visually impaired can only read text.
• basic information about the library itself: address(es) and phone number(s) should be right up front. The name of the director, and contact info for branches, reference, children's services, and such, should be no more than one click away.
• Accountability: every single page should have the contact person's e-mail address on it.
• library policies should be posted on the web site.

  Content, of course, is even more important. What I'm looking for is interesting ways of delivering not only traditional library services by way of the web, but entirely new services that exploit the capabilities of the medium, such as instant updates, interactivity and graphic display.

  One librarian I know, for instance, is building an entirely new library from scratch. Opening day is several months in the future, but the library web page is already up and running. The librarian has posted on it photos of every stage of its construction, each tied to an explanation of what service is going to be in this particular part of the building. She's also posted a library wish list, with prices, in case the library's future users would like to contribute to the building. To me, this is a splendid bit of marketing; she's helping community residents develop a growing sense of ownership in their future library, and sharing with them her own excitement as it approaches completion.

  Among the interesting services I have seen and admired on library web sites are:

• blogs or zines sharing news about books, library events, and community activities -- the Waterboro (ME) Public Library blog is one of my favorite daily stopping places http://www.waterboro.lib.me.us/blog.htm
• e-mail newsletters notifying users of new books, web sites, databases, and other resources
• interactive tutorials
• online book clubs
• 24/7 reference by chat or e-mail
• homework help
• online exhibits -- I especially like to see libraries exploiting their own and their community's unique archives by scanning and displaying them online.
• bulletin boards for sharing questions and comments
• all library forms online and interactive
• subject guides and pathfinders to library and web resources
• online story hours by audio or even streaming video

  I especially like to see something on the library web page that tells people librarians understand their specific community, and that librarians will immediately respond to local issues with information. Many libraries, of course, instantly posted links to charitable organizations and background information on terrorism after the September 11 attacks, but it's just as valuable when a library responds to a growing number of home-schoolers with a home schooling resource page, or responds to a growing immigrant population with web resources in their language, dealing with their day-to-day difficulties in adapting to their new country.

  I already know some splendid library web pages that I'm planning to recommend to you, but if your own library is doing something remarkable, write me and tell me about it. You too might be featured someday on ExLibris. A modest degree of fame, to be sure, but hey, we're librarians, and we'll take whatever positive press we can get.

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  COOL QUOTE

  Our tend in copyright law has been to enclose as much as we can; the consequence of this enclosure is a stifling of creativity and innovation. If the Internet teaches us anything, it is that great value comes from leaving core resources in a commons, where they're free for people to build upon as they see fit. An Innovation Commons was the essence - the core - of the Internet. We are now corrupting this core, and this corruption will in turn destroy the opportunity for creativity that the Internet built.

  Lawrence Lessig. "May the Source Be With You." Wired, December, 2001.

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  You are welcome to copy and distribute or e-mail any of my own articles for noncommercial purposes (but not those by my guest writers) as long as you retain this copyright statement:

  Ex Libris: an E-Zine for Librarians and Other Information Junkies.
  http://marylaine.com/exlibris/
  Copyright, Marylaine Block, 1999-2002.

  [Publishers may license the content for a reasonable fee.]