Easy to readEasy to read

Effective Effective Library Library

WebsitesWebsitesEasy to understand

Easy to fi ndEasy to fi ndEasy to fi nd

Quick to download

Quick to download

Easy to navigateEasy to navigate

Balanced design

Visually interesting

Visually interesting

Visually interesting

Uncluttered

Helpful linksHelpful links

Consistent layoutConsistent layout

Interactive

August 7, 2010 CIMT 656Christina Faulkner

School Library Media Center

Academic Library Public Library

Boston Public Libraryhttp://www.bpl.org

Lakeview High School Libraryhttp://www.kresanet.org/lhslib

North Carolina State University Libraryhttp://www.lib.ncsu.edu• 1 central library facility &

• 26 neighborhood branches• The MissionThe Boston Public Library’s mis-sion is to preserve and provide access to historical recordof our society, and to serve the cultural, educational, and informa-tional needs of theCity and the Commonwealth.• VisionThe vision of the Boston Public Li-brary is to touch the lives of every Bostonian in libraries, online and in the community.• MottoWhat do you want to know?• 3,403,538 books, DVDs and CDs checked out in 2009• 684,124 public internet sessions in 2009• 5.287,000 website visits in 2009• Priorities for 2009-10Advancement of Learning* Early Literacy* Academic support* Lifelong learningMost in Demand* Serving the greatest number of people with existing or reduced resources* Includes open hours, electronic access, and collection

• Located in suburban residen-tial Battle Creek, Michigan• Serves more than 1,350 high school students in grades 9-12; 25% minority student popula-tion• Approx. 90 staff members• City population: 53,000• New high school facility opened in January 2006• 1 certifi ed librarian & 1 li-brary assistant• Hours 7:15 a.m. - 3:45 p.m. Monday-Friday• LHS Mission StatementThe mission of Lakeview High School is to promote meaning-ful learning in a safeenvironment in order to de-velop knowledgeable, healthy, socially responsiblecitizens in our global society.• Strategies * Increase student achievement through the use of theteaching and learning cycle as defi ned by CIA and ACW * Promote understanding of diversity, global issues, andpersonal health and well-being * Build career awareness through education and experi-ences

• central D. H. Hill Library and four branch libraries serve the col-leges of Design, Natural Resources, Textiles, and Veterinary Medicine• Mission statementThe NCSU Libraries is the gate-way to knowledge for the NC State University community and part-ners. We defi ne the leading edge of information services and col-lections to support the university’s mission and to further knowledge in the world.• Up to 16,000 visits per day; 2.5 million visits in 2008/09• Open 24 hours, fi ve days per week during the academic year• More than 4.3 million volumes, approximately 62,000 printand electronic serial subscriptions (51,000 of them electronic),500 bibliographic databases, and a growing array of electronicfull-text and image collections• Over 5.7 million total uses in 2009/10• More than 2 million full-text jour-nal article downloadsannually• Access to over 400,000 electronic books•More than 33,500 students from 111 countries, includingalmost 7,300 graduate students

Combining the best of the best

Lakeview High School Library

North Carolina State University Library

Boston Public Library• Policies & procedures - located on the homepage, contains use-ful user information • Clean, legible menu - page links across the top of each page and down the left side; same menu appears on each page so users are familiar with website options• Updated homepage - the BPL does a good job keeping the homepage updated, some of the section include: New &Noteworthy and Upcoming Events; keeping these current assures readers that someone is maintaining the website and the informa-tion provided is recent• Suggestions - lets patrons know their opinion matters

• Clearly divided links - BPL has six main categories listed on their homepage; users do not have to scroll down very far to see all services and resources offered.• Most used tab - includes catalogs, cita-tion help, top 10 databases• Search option - located on fi rst page, also appears at the top of every linked page for easy access• FAQs - helpful information divided into categories for easy reference; also features an Ask us function to email librarians

• Reading suggestions - links to various teen read-ing websites; also provides audio book reviews; links to student and staff favorites, along with link for users to submit their recommendations• Research page - links to databases and other resources provided by the high school media center as well as local and state library resources; also includes citation help with examples• Career exploration & college planning - links to resume-building websites, college guides and related information• Professional links for teachers - links to top les-son planning and curriculum design websites

Providing a comprehensive school media center for students and faculty

In a world where a wealth of information is available to library patrons school media specialists need to ask themselves how they can enhance their services so that students and faculty utilize the media cen-ter instead of turning to the internet for information.

An effective school media center has a clear vision for its students and faculty. There

should also be specifi c goals for the facility that directly

align with not only the media center’s vision, but also the school’s mission and vision. When estab-lishing the media center’s vision and goals the media spe-

cialist should look beyond providing traditional library materials such as

books and print encyclopedias; the SLMS should strive to provide patrons with the full 21st century library experience that

includes access to reliable electronic resources.

A good school library me-dia center is patron-driven. When making decisions the SLMS should always have students and faculty in mind.

They should ask themselves: How could this ben-efi t the students? Would teachers be able to utilize this in the classroom?

Well-developed policies and procedures should be in place for a media center to run smoothly. Not only should library employees be aware

Communicate Communicate a clear vision

& goals

Establish& maintainpolicies &procedures

Always make decisions with

patrons in mind

and abide by these policies and procedures, a printed ver-sion should be available to the patrons in both pamphlet form and electronic form via the library’s website.

Technology is an important component of the 21st century media center. SLMS should allocate funds (when avail-able) to keep technology cur-rent.

Clear and frequent com-munication between library staff and patrons is also perti-nent to the media center’s success. Library staff mem-bers should take special care in making sure there are signs in the library explaining the location

of items and any policy and procedures the patron should be aware of. Another com-

munication component that should be updated frequently is the li-brary’s website. If pos-sible, any resources that can be remotely accessed by patrons,

such as databases or the OPAC sys-tem, should be made available.

Library staff, including student workers, should be trained and encouraged

to display a helpful attitude to students. The media center can be intimidating for students at times; a good staff attitude can make the facility

more inviting. Teachers are

the other main group of pa-trons a school library serves. SLMS should make teachers feel as if their suggestions are welcome and encourage them to use the resources that are available.

Once all of these compo-nents are in place it is essen-tial that the SLMS spend a

signifi cant amount of time promoting the library’s resources and services to it patrons. The more student and teacher use a school media

center gets the more likely it is the administration will notice the facility’s impor-tance in the school which could hopefully lead to more funding. It’s always wise for a SLMS to be their own stron-gest advocate.

Keep technology

current

Display a helpful & supportive

attitude

Publicizelibrary services

ReferencesBoston Public Library. (2010). Retrieved August 1, 2010 from http://www.bpl.org.

Lakeview High School Library. (2010) Retrieved August 1, 2010 from http://www.kresanet.org/lhslib.

North Carolina State University Library (2010). Retrieved August 1, 2010, from http://www.lib.ncsu.edu.

Thurow, S. (2006, November 4). Web Presence for Internet Librar-ians. Ricklibrarian. Message posted to http://ricklibrarian.blogspot.com/2006/11/we-resence-for-internet-librarians.html.com/2006/11/we-resence-for-internet-librarians.html.

Clarksville High School Media Center. (2008). Retrieved August 1, 2010, from http://www.ccsc.k12.in.us/hs/me-diacenter/.

Clarksville High School

Website Reviewhttp://www.ccsc.k12.in.us/hs/mediacenter/http://www.ccsc.k12.in.us/hs/mediacenter/

ConsistencyEach link on the homepage takes

you to a page with similar design

elements including color and fonts so that the whole site

is cohesive

Easy-access MenuIn addition to the

homepage the same menu appears on the left side of all other pages for

easy navigation; there is always a link to go back to

the homepage

InteractivityOnly a few links on the entire website are interactive, the databases and book

reviews. High school students would be

more apt to visit/use the site if it had more

interactivity.

UpdatedThe New Arrivals section dates back to last spring. This

shows the patron that the site has been neglected, causing them to assume the rest of the website is not updated.