Emily Smith Original Blog Post
Media Center Webpages
Media Center webpages are really not an option anymore. Over 90% of school libraries have webpages; surely, that number will rise to 100% in the near future. Now, school librarians need to know what to put on their webpages. Before adding things to a school webpage, you must first design the page. This to me is one of the most important aspects of a webpage. The 'look' of the website, in my opinion, is what keeps people exploring or what looses people right when they click on to the site. If the webpage isn't inviting, people may not want to explore any further. To me, it is also vital that it meets the needs of the audience who will be using it. An elementary webpage, for example, should be full of color and pictures, easy to read, and of course, easy to navigate. Just as important, the page should be organized. If it is not organized well, students, parents, and staff will have a hard time utilizing it. After these things are done, the librarian must decide what to include on the page.
What should I include on a media center webpage?
After visiting many media center websites, I found many things that definitely need to be included on the library webpage. On the homepage, I like to see the mission of the library included. People will see immediately what the library is all about and the things the librarian, students, and school strive for. On a separate page, other things such as library news, calendar of events, equipment that is available, and parent volunteer information should be included. Of course, the librarian should provide contact information, as well as operating hours, and the staff at the school.
Most importantly, the librarian needs to include things students and staff will utilize at school or even at home. On our school library webpage, there are links to teacher sites. Teachers use these links daily; it is very helpful to have all the links a teacher needs right there on one page to use. Also, student links should be on the page. As an elementary school teacher, the library website at my school has these links at the top of the home page. Students click on the picture/words, that relate to the site, he/she is ready to use. This is super easy for younger students to use. My first grade students can access and find the site they are asked to use. Homework help, as well as, links to site word lists or other important documents is also helpful for parents whose children may misplace items. I also like to see a link to state standards. As a parent, I like to know ahead of time the things my child will be learning. Other important things to include are links to fun learning sites, accelerated reader information, search engines, and also college and career information (for high school students). I really like how the North Elementary virtual library webpage is set up. On the homepage, you can simply click the grade level you are in. After clicking on the grade level, you can access useful links related to things being taught. Having surveys and requests forms are also beneficial to have on the webpage. Surveys are a good way to keep the students and parents involved. This is a great way to get their input on various things going on in the school or library. Also, request forms are great! I utilize these often on our schools webpage. We have requests forms for IPAD apps to be added to our IPADs, as well as, request forms for help with computer/technology problems.
I have already mentioned how important I think the 'look' of the website is. I like for a website to have pictures or slideshows to show the fun things going on. My students love looking at the slideshow on our school's website. It, also, encourages them to do their best, so they can be included in these special events that are pictured.
Should we drop webpages and use a blog or wiki?
After researching Wikis last week, I found that they are just as easy to navigate and use as a webpage. The biggest downfall to a regular webpage is collaboration cannot occur. Wikis allow for collaboration! However, I have found that Wikis do not always have the 'look' of a webpage. As mentioned previously, the 'look' is very important, in my opinion. On the library webpage, the librarian could link classroom Wiki pages. Teachers and students, who have their class Wiki pages, would be able to access these easily also. This way there would be the best of both worlds. I really like the idea of hearing from students, parents, and faculty. A link to a blog could be the answer.
Creating a webpage can be lots of fun! It is important to remember who will be using the webpage; remember, what looks great to an adult my not be user friendly for a child. Keep a webpage organized, easy to navigate, and full of useful information. These things will allow for a well utilized webpage.
What should I include on a media center webpage?
After visiting many media center websites, I found many things that definitely need to be included on the library webpage. On the homepage, I like to see the mission of the library included. People will see immediately what the library is all about and the things the librarian, students, and school strive for. On a separate page, other things such as library news, calendar of events, equipment that is available, and parent volunteer information should be included. Of course, the librarian should provide contact information, as well as operating hours, and the staff at the school.
Most importantly, the librarian needs to include things students and staff will utilize at school or even at home. On our school library webpage, there are links to teacher sites. Teachers use these links daily; it is very helpful to have all the links a teacher needs right there on one page to use. Also, student links should be on the page. As an elementary school teacher, the library website at my school has these links at the top of the home page. Students click on the picture/words, that relate to the site, he/she is ready to use. This is super easy for younger students to use. My first grade students can access and find the site they are asked to use. Homework help, as well as, links to site word lists or other important documents is also helpful for parents whose children may misplace items. I also like to see a link to state standards. As a parent, I like to know ahead of time the things my child will be learning. Other important things to include are links to fun learning sites, accelerated reader information, search engines, and also college and career information (for high school students). I really like how the North Elementary virtual library webpage is set up. On the homepage, you can simply click the grade level you are in. After clicking on the grade level, you can access useful links related to things being taught. Having surveys and requests forms are also beneficial to have on the webpage. Surveys are a good way to keep the students and parents involved. This is a great way to get their input on various things going on in the school or library. Also, request forms are great! I utilize these often on our schools webpage. We have requests forms for IPAD apps to be added to our IPADs, as well as, request forms for help with computer/technology problems.
I have already mentioned how important I think the 'look' of the website is. I like for a website to have pictures or slideshows to show the fun things going on. My students love looking at the slideshow on our school's website. It, also, encourages them to do their best, so they can be included in these special events that are pictured.
Should we drop webpages and use a blog or wiki?
After researching Wikis last week, I found that they are just as easy to navigate and use as a webpage. The biggest downfall to a regular webpage is collaboration cannot occur. Wikis allow for collaboration! However, I have found that Wikis do not always have the 'look' of a webpage. As mentioned previously, the 'look' is very important, in my opinion. On the library webpage, the librarian could link classroom Wiki pages. Teachers and students, who have their class Wiki pages, would be able to access these easily also. This way there would be the best of both worlds. I really like the idea of hearing from students, parents, and faculty. A link to a blog could be the answer.
Creating a webpage can be lots of fun! It is important to remember who will be using the webpage; remember, what looks great to an adult my not be user friendly for a child. Keep a webpage organized, easy to navigate, and full of useful information. These things will allow for a well utilized webpage.
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ReplyDeleteEmily, I absolutely agree with you that media center websites must be visually appealing, exciting, and interactive. As a whole, our society is becoming very visually oriented and teachers across the country know that in order to convince a K-12 student to use a specific resource it has to first grab their attention. However, website designers must also take into account what age group it is serving because what is appealing or exciting to first graders would not interest high school seniors. Therefore, I think the website design is a vital component of the overall media center website.
ReplyDeleteIncluding links on the media center website is a great idea and could be useful to teachers, students, and parents alike. These links could lead to individual teacher websites for students, parent forms that need to be signed, or professional development wikis for teachers. I love your suggestion of how links to blogs and wikis can give the media center website “the best of both worlds” and I do agree that a website, instead of a wiki or blog, would best fit the needs of a media center. Students love the posting nature of social media, therefore, blogs could be used for students to review their favorite books, recommend them to their friends, and request books to be purchased by the librarian. The media center website will receive numerous visitors by making it appealing as well as useful to all members of the target audience.
I agree that Media Center web pages are an important tool for opening up communication to the school and it is important to be current with information. After viewing media center websites across my school district, I see that even with in a cluster of schools there is great variety in websites. For example, our area has four elementary schools within 5 miles. These students attend two different Gwinnett County clusters, but all attend the same school district with the same mission and visions. Just looking at the school’s media center’s website, gives a viewer a quick idea of how each facility is used by the school. Is it welcoming? Is the website user friendly? Does the website have useable resources and links? The answers to these questions varied from school to school.
ReplyDeleteWhat did I notice? School media center websites used a variety of technologies to create the webpages and a user could spot the sites created with free website sources because the pages were not very interesting and lacked visual effects I have come to expect from a website. I wondered if these differences could be contributed to media specialist style or were these sites created for the media center, not by the media center. One of my mentors is a middle school teacher and many of his contributions to the media center’s website are student created. With a student’s hand in the work, the site can take many different appearances.
What did I see and what did I like about school library media center websites? I liked the websites that had easy to navigate information. I found many common topics for web pages including;
• Internet safety
• Research tools
• Accelerated Reader information
• Using the library tips and skills
• Online learning links
• Online reading logs
• Media Center orientation
I personally liked the websites that included video tours of resources and slide shows.
During my research of websites, I was surprised to see little instruction on the webpages I found in my area. I expected to see links to online learning or specials instruction in the media center. As a new media specialist, my own website is a work in progress and I can see where I would want to pull some ideas from the sites I really liked, but as a teacher, would want to see more support for learning. After looking at websites from local area schools, I check out library media center websites in Wisconsin and Indiana. The Bloomington, Indiana school library at University Elementary School includes many of the features I found locally, but also dug in a little deeper. Information was plentiful without being overwhelming and the library blog was interesting to adults and students. I can see where planning a focus for the library media center website is important. David Warlick (Knowledge Quest, 33:3, pp. 13-16, January /February 2005) explained it as content that will “provoke and empower”. In essence I discovered that a library media center website is much more than posting pictures of students, books and events and it is more about serving stockholders of the program. A good website shares information and supports the vision of the library program.
http://aasl.metapress.com/content/gk552k173l82j1l0/
Stephanie,
DeleteYo have provided so much detail on appealing websites. Thank you. As I have considered what to include in my website (both for the upcoming assignment and for my school's use), I am glad to have your informal check list and ideas. There are so many things to think about including on a web site that some thing may get overlooked. As you pointed out (through David Warlick), "A good website shares information and supports the vision of the library program." This will be a good guiding motto to use while creating my website.
ReplyDeleteThe items you mentioned to include on a media center website are crucial to making it the most useful. As a teacher, to have a site that has the links to all of the county software and web links are great to have. We are introduced to so much technology it is a good thing to have it all in one place. Blurbs added on the operation each technology is also helpful. Many teachers have difficulty even in this day and age with dealing with new technology. Also the use of picture links for students is a great idea. I tach Kindergarten so this method would make it user friendly for young students. The standards and parent links are also very important to have on the website. Many parents do inquire about the standards and to have a place to direct them to go can be useful for parents to gain and understanding for what their children are learning and also moving ahead. As far as the comparison with the Wiki’s, I feel that the website MediaWiki (https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Deciding_whether_to_use_a_wiki_as_your_website_type ) said it best by stating that if you're considering creating a website, your first decision, even before deciding which wiki software to use, is deciding whether to use a wiki at all. For the most part, it comes down to a decision of whether one believes in the wiki way, which is to make bad changes easy to fix rather than hard to make. For the older students and the parents, a Link to a Wiki may be a use collaboration link that could be added.
There are many things to consider for making a great media center website, but I fell through these courses and research, I am gaining very useful hints, tools, and tips to make my website the most useful space it can be.
I agree that a website should be easily utilized. According to David Walbert, the core of a good website is usability and accessibility.
ReplyDeleteWhen considering the usability of the media center website there are several factors we need to keep in mind. Consider the audience. What does the audience need? Keep in mind that the webpage is going to serve more than one audience. It will be visited by students, parents, faculty and staff members and possibily individuals outside the school community. What should we include to meet their needs? We need to ask ourselves, "How should the page be organized?" The content should be organized so users can easily find it. Is the site easy to navigate? What about the content? Is it clearly written, readable, and well-organized? Making the website user-friendly is one way to guarantee repeat visitors.
Michele, you make very valid points. The fact that the media center website has various audiences; their needs should be considered. As I continue to construct my website, I will consider the ones you included, such as parents, faculty, and other staff members. These are the stakeholders of the school. Their needs should be met as well when web design is considered. Perhaps I will begin researching resources these members will need. Very insightful comments. Thank you.
DeleteA website should be informative and resourceful and easy to use. I agree that considering the audience is mandatory in providing useful, insightful and interesting links. Some of the media center websites I liked best had the most useful information such as AP exam info, helpful college links, summer reading, poetry appreciation links, and book fair links. A media center website needs to advocate what the center and the media specialist offer the patrons of the school. Therefore, it is appropriate to have a tab for “Teaching” that highlights strategies, new technology in teaching, etc.; “Study Resources” that highlight login information for resources such as USA Test Prep and Study Island, tutoring schedules, etc.; “Reading Endeavors” that highlight reading programs to impact learning in the school such as book fairs, reading bowl, or Accelerated Reader. Of course these are only a few of the endless possibilities in creating the links and tabs a community needs. In my research of media websites, I liked the informative ones the best. When my middle school students use the media center webpage they want to find new information on the best books to read and some information staples such as those pesky login passwords they can’t seem to remember. And those that showcased the students as well as the facility, events, and resources. A video clip of the students promoting an event or book is always eye catching and more relevant. Websites are another advocate for the media center so it needs to show off and keep the visitors engaged in fresh information and visuals that are pleasing. What feeling do you want your media center to evoke? Use the webpage as an extension of that vision.
ReplyDeleteEmily, I have enjoyed learning more about a school's library website. I agree that it should have a target audience which would be the staff, students, and parents. The other important aspect that I remember reading was that the website should help you do your job. As I read the article and looked at other school library websites, it made me realize that my school's library page is not as interactive as it should be. There is good information on it but it could definantly use more helpful tabs and links.
ReplyDeleteA library website should be easily navigable and user friendly. I think at this time having a website is essential. The look of the website should vary depending on what age you are trying to reach. An elementary website should be different from a middle or high school website.
ReplyDeleteWhile the look is important to draw people into the website, once they are there the content is important too. I agree with you that meaningful links are important. I agree with David Warlick that people don’t come to your website to read. They come for information. The information should be provided in succinct bullet points. While I agree with you that different fonts are important, I think limiting the variety of fonts is important to keep a clean look to the website.
I really like the idea of different tabs for different grades, however it may be difficult for a librarian to spend the time updating each page in a timely manner to coincide with the current subjects and topics for each grade. That is the one area of the website that would make me consider using a wiki. Teachers could go into their grade level tab and add their content information themselves. I’d like it if ‘my pages’ were to be left alone, and could be designed like a web page, while the grade level pages could be more of a wiki feel. Emily I love your idea for a link to state standards. I had not thought of that. Your other suggestion of surveys is a good way of getting students to go the website. A question of the week on the website is a suggestion too. Students could bring in their answers to the media center and a drawing of the correct answers would create excitement.
Media center webpages are a necessity in the education world today. The information they can offer the public in invaluable. I agree that the look is important, but I think more importantly is the information that is on the webpage itself. For example, I read that the mission statement should be on the webpage. When I first read that I thought that was not the most useful information to put on the webpage. For me, the webpage is there to help students and parents navigate through links and find out basic information. As a parent, I don’t think if the media center did not list the mission statement that would bother me at all. I would want to know hours, fines, how to do research, password helps, etc. The purpose of the webpage for me is to be able to help answer questions when I am not available or when the library is closed.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you that the library page should link to teacher pages and school events. I think this would work great when teachers have projects. They would get the guidelines and have the links to do the research in one place. As you also mentioned, fun learning links are great to have for elementary students. The website can be so much more than just information but help guide students and parents in their learning.
Webpages
ReplyDeleteSetting up a webpage for a school’s media center is one of the most effective ways to share information with the students, faculty, parents, and shareholders in the school’s community. This webpage should be a link between the school’s webpage and the media center. By providing access to the webpage the media specialist and the school are providing an extension of the media center long after the school has locked its door for the night. Education doesn’t end just because a child is not sitting in a classroom.
An effective media center website provides educational links to assist students in all content and topics. The media specialist can link web quests and pathfinders for homework assistance as well as providing links to specific library related sites. One site that is advisable for schools that participate in the Accelerated Reader program is www.arbookfind.com. Additionally, having a link to Galileo is advisable as well as a link to the school’s catalogue system such as Destiny.
I am in agreement with my classmates who pointed out that the website should be colorful, attractive, and inviting; however, a word of caution here, avoid too many distractors especially for those students who have short attention spans or attention problems. Having an easy to navigate and easy to read format is vital for use with younger students. One thing that a former media specialist did for her webpage which I plan to incorporate into my new webpage is a self-guided ‘tour’ of the media center (PPT presentation) and a self-guided orientation presentation. These are especially help for students (and faculty) who enroll at the school after the typical beginning of the year orientations have been completed. There are so many ideas of things to incorporate on a media center webpages and selecting the essentials for your school’s age groups might seem overwhelming at the beginning; but changes can always be made thus keeping the webpage exciting.
Emily, I totally agree with you, the look of a website from the outset is VERY important. It does allow for others to explore the site because they are drawn in. When I began designing my website for the SLMS program, I started and stopped more than once. It was not until the fourth shell that I was pleased with how the home page looked. I want people to view my page and be captivated by its’ contents. I think I have accomplished that so far.
ReplyDeleteIn the section of your post titled, “What it should include”, I often find when I visit various sites that many do not seem to contain the components that I find helpful. I don’t mean to suggest that these sites are not useful, but there is nothing more frustrating than having to search multiple sites for an aspect that all should contain. I agree with you, all media center sites should include a mission statement whether it is for the actual center or one that is adopted by the school.
Finally, I too would much rather have a wiki added to a media center website than have it be a replacement for one. There is no substitution for a website in my opinion.
This is an excellent post! I like that you give a bit of a bullet list on what to include as well as must haves for a typical LMC website. You are absolutely correct about look and feel of a site. If it isn't user friendly, easily navigable, and eye-catching, then it basically is useless. This is especially true for younger users. They need to be engaged from the first moment and what they are seeking needs to be easily accessible, so organization is very important. Making sure that there are objects on the site that allow the users to search at home is also very important. As I usually teach on the secondary level, I know this is important because school is not the only place students work on papers for which they need to do research. Having access to EBSCO or other important databases from home ensures accessibility for all. Having those availability of resources outside of school is equally important for staff members. Excellent read! Thank you for giving me ideas :)
ReplyDeleteI have to disagree about using a wiki in place of the media center website. I use our media center page as a resource and we also have a scheduler included there. I like having one webmaster for the page that can control what is there and maintaining it. It is also where we have access to our networking and video broadcast system. All the links that are helpful for anyone in the school- teachers, administration and students alike are there. I do like the idea of having a wiki space in addition to the resource page. That is just my view. You made some valid points. I can't wait to explore all the things we can do with our web page. More than anything, I want it to be useful to everyone in the school. That is the purpose i feel is most important.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Emily! I love the idea of the homework help section for the media website. I know, as a parent and teacher, parents have to have access to homework information in order to help their child. This is a must for my website in the future. I am also glad that you mentioned that the wiki doesn't have the look that some people find appealing. I do feel like without coding knowledge the wiki can be very hard to design. I find that weebly is so much better!
ReplyDeleteEmily, what a great blog entry! I really enjoyed your comparison between websites and wikis. I also work in an elementary school, and you are so right when you say that part of the appeal of the website is its appearance. Our media specialist recently had many popular links loaded to our Chromebooks for ease of access. It has made a tremendous difference as is saves so much time in the classroom. I absolutely love the idea of the website involving parents, students, and teachers. Not only does this keep the media center relevant, but I believe it can help lead to the overall success of our students. Thank you so much for your blog!
ReplyDeleteEmily,
ReplyDeleteYou are correct in saying that the look of a webpage must be inviting. I think that this is a special task for elementary schools because you must attempt to catch three audiences: the student, the parent, and the teacher, all while being vey user friendly. Our media specialist at my school has done a wonderful job with her page. When you click it she has a picture of her hiding behind a book. This is humorous for the students and very inviting. She incorporates social media by having icons to the school’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. She also has tabs that links students and teachers to their email accounts. I love that fact that she has incorporated links to both Destiny and Accelerated Reader on her page. This is very helpful for both teachers and students while away from campus. I agree that one of the biggest components of creating a successful page is that it is user friendly. I also agree that Wikis are a great tool because it is a constant body of work.