Back in the day, quiet librarians stayed in their room in the middle of the school. Their shelves were neat. Their books were in order. When students ventured into the library, the librarian was there to keep boys out of the National Geographic magazines and shush the girls who were giggling in the reference section. Occasionally, the librarian would send a short note or “Library Letter” advising a teacher of students’ overdue books. Once a year librarians would come out of their darkened room to the school assembly to award certificates or gold stars to quiet students who followed the library rules and read the most books.
Zoom ahead to the 21st century. Modern media centers are alive with people, activity, technology, and NOISE! Our school media specialists have become drum majors in the “No Child Left Behind” parade. These multi-taskers keep technology updated, manage the many print and nonprint resources, collaborate with teachers and parents, promote literacy, and work to get students involved with media and with each other. Online media centers are popping up all over the Internet as media specialists expand their students’ learning experiences into the World Wide Web.
Virtual Media Centers! What should our school media web sites look like? What should they include?
Since the 1990s those who have wanted to attract buyers to their products have relied on web designers to create eye-catching online displays. These ads and web sites pop with visual and audio features to grab their audience’s attention. Can educational sites compete in this arena?
As media specialists, we know our “buyers” are students and teachers who are used to the immediacy of the Internet. They want to be able to have information at their fingertips NOW. As seasoned Net users, students and teachers want to get the news, research and look for information on a hobby or interest, and find an answer to a question (Warlick, 2005). As media specialists who are not paid web designers, we do want to draw attention to our features and help our patrons find what they are seeking. Jamie McKenzie (2008) in his “Eighteen Tenets for Web Pages” suggests ways we can create interest but get our readers to what they want. Three of his suggestions are below.
(1) Take a minimalist approach to page design. “Less is More.” Avoid too many pictures and images that slow download time and waste bandwidth.
(2) Provide visitors with enough information to make wise choices. Thumbnail sketches to a few good sites with appropriate links are better than mega lists that are not well researched. This will keep some white space on your site and point your reader to information that you can be sure is suitable to the learning situation.
(3) Maintain consistent formats and avoid a hodge podge of random designs. “Showboating” different fonts, graphics, and designs can keep your audience from getting to needed information.
Walbert (2006) seconds all of the above and adds that web accessibility must be open to all, including those with disabilities. We must consider those who are visually impaired, color-blind, or deaf. We can not assume that all will be able to get our message in sound bytes or slick illustrations. Color can not be relied upon as the lone marker of special content, and fonts with “tails” can hinder reading for far-sighted individuals. Walbert suggests the use of blogs as a cheap/free way to interact with the audience. Blogging builds the website into an open-ended discussion of educational issues, entertainment, and source of shared information. Each member of the community has equal access to voice opinions on books, media, and issues. Each blog entry makes the content new again.
Jurkowski (2006) found that websites should reflect the age of targeted users by adding these features:
· Library news
· Databases
· Career/college information
· Fun sites
· News and current events
· Online magazines
· Accelerated Reader information
· Book clubs
· Parent volunteers
· Special library events
As a media webmaster, I also offer these suggestions:
· Photos of the physical media center
· Photos of students in media events
· Links to award-winning books and authors’ sites
· Student book talks—written and audio
· Interviews with teachers and staff on books they like
· Top ten books circulated through the month (Destiny will get you these statistics)
· Links to books read aloud online (most have read along book pages)
--beginning readers:
http://www.mightybook.com/ http://kids.aol.com/KOL/1/KOLJrStories
BookHive at http://www.plcmc.org/bookhive/zingertales/default.asp?storyID=3
--English and Spanish readers:
http://kids.nypl.org/reading/Childrensebooks.cfm
--mP3s to download and read along
http://www.free-books.org/
--Screen Actors’ Guild BookPals site
http://www.bookpals.net/
· Information on GALILEO (where to get password)
· Information on netTrekker (school and home use)
What should our school media center web sites look like? What should they include? Our media sites should reflect the interests and goals of our students and teachers. We should include enough material to keep our users interested but point them to more information elsewhere. We should include interactive sites that invite dialog and showcase ingenuity and integrity in the information we place there. We must be aware that our users vary in interests, physical abilities, and educational needs. Our websites should spark users’ curiosity to ask for more and then fan the flames of interest to look for more. Unlike the restricted paper notes of the “Library Letter,” our media center web sites reach out to infinite cyberspace to bring instant information to our users in ways never imagined by our mothers (or fathers)!
References
Jurkowski, O. (2006). Technology and the school library. Lanham, MD: The Scarecrow
Press, Inc.
McKenzie, J. (2008). Design tenets for web pages. Retrieved October 17, 2009, from
http://www.fromnowon.org
Walbert, D. (2006). Best practices in school library website design. Retrieved October 17, 2009, from
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/paes/969
Warlick, D. (2005). Building web sites that work for your media center [PDF]. Retrieved
October 17, 2009, from
http://staging.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslpubsandjournals/kqweb/kqarchives/v33/warlick.pdf
21 hours ago
