Checkout our website ... or not

"Be aware of the message your library's website sends" warns Mathews (2009, para. 3).  The website is your shop window, and increasingly the main point of contact for clients. 


For my library, Metropolitan South Institute of TAFE (MSIT), I believe the following to be the most important criteria for developing the website:


1. Be purposeful - know your users
2. Allow collaboration - both students and teachers
3. Offer an easy way to ask for help
4. Use visual clues - inspiring photos
5. Navigation areas should stand out

So how does the MSIT library website stack up?


1. Purposeful?  MSIT services a high number of "English as a Second Language" (ESL) students and "Literacy and Numeracy Program (LNP) students, and yet the website for these students is intimidating with it's high reliance on text - and small text at that.  It does not reflect a customer focus - merely a collective of library services with no real attempt to entice or attract users to click further.  It says "this is the library" rather than "what do you need?"


2.  Allow collaboration?  Clients are able to add a review once they have accessed the bibliographic record of an item.  However, this line sits within the record, and is not particularly obvious or enticing.  It is easy to overlook, and with no other invitation, clients could possibly not realise that they are actually able to interact with the website in such a way.  Despite MSIT having Twitter and Facebook accounts, there is no reference to these tools on the library webpage.


3. Offer an easy way to ask for help?  The Ask a Librarian service is not at all visible from the front page - it is buried in the "services" link in the navigation pane, and again, is heavy in text.  A better option would be a large button on the front page - help from the very start of the client's journey.


4. Visual clues?  Again, given the ESL and LNP students, visual clues would assist these students in navigating the webpages.  Even for other students, the webpage is dull, flat and  not enticing at all - even the "news" section does not encourage further interaction.  It could be much enhanced with the addition of inspiring photos as suggested by Mathews.


5. Navigation areas stand out?  Although this suggestion from Lazaris is for children's websites, the principal can be applied to the MSIT website.  Currently the Navigation and Quicklinks panes look much the same - neither stands out from the other, nor from the central login pane.  Again, heavy reliance on text lets the webpage down, and it lacks the elements of fun and "clickability" which would ultimately draw users into the site for further investigation and interaction.

Mathews, B. (2009). Web design matters: Ten essentials for any library site. Library Journal, (15 February). Retrieved August 19, 2011 fromhttp://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6634712.html?industryid=47126


Metropolitan South Institute of TAFE (2011). Library Network. Retrieved August 19, 2011 from https://metropolitansouth.qldtafe.spydus.com/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/MSGTRN/OPAC/HOME

Lazaris, L. (2009). Designing websites for kids: Trends and best practices, Smashing Magazine, (27 November). Retrieved August 19, 2011 from http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/11/27/designing-websites-for-kids-trends-and-best-practices/