'Tis a Gift to Be Simple

Anyone interested in site design should check out usability consultant Jakob Neilsen's site at www.useit.com, and read his biweekly "Alertbox" columns. They're full of great ideas on how to create an elegant, useful site, instead of the kind of site that drives people nuts. (A good example of crazy-making is the site in which every link you click on opens a new browser window, and you can't click on "Back" to return.) Here are my own suggestions, specifically for library site builders:

Make a list of objectives and a maintenance schedule for your site--and don't misfile or forget them. A site without objectives is a sad and wimpy thing; anything and everything gets thrown onscreen in no particular order, and without a maintenance schedule events that have already happened aren't weeded and replaced by new ones. A school library site should include links to sites recommended for current assignments, announcements of special events like book fairs and author visits, and information for parents about library resources and activities. A public library youth services site should keep parents and other caregivers notified of the calendar of storytimes and other library events, provide a list of kid-friendly events in the library's community, and link to appropriate game and craft sites. Both school and public library sites should feature booklists, pages of recommended reference sites, and easy-to-find links to resources to which the library subscribes, like online encyclopedias or periodical databases, especially if they can be accessed from home with a library card number.

Be simple and clear: 90 percent of site visitors will spend 90 seconds or less looking at your page. Be brief and organized. Avoid "scroll-itis"; individual pages should hold no more than 30 links. Any text longer than a single paragraph should be presented in outline form, with clear, easy-to-find subject headings. Flashing graphics, expanses of red or green text, and weirdly textured backgrounds make your page hard to read, particularly for users with disabilities and low literacy levels. The type on your page should stay between 10 and 14 points; HUGE TYPE isn't necessary just because it's a page for kids. A beautiful kids' home page is Sacramento Public Library's (www.saclibrary.org/kids/default.asp).

Act like a librarian when you create lists of Web links--alphabetize, sort, and annotate. Most library sites for young people nationwide are sloppy about putting up links. For an example of how to do it right, check the way the lists on ALA's 700+ Great Sites list (see www.ala.org/parentspage/greatsites/arts2.html) are formatted. You'll notice that the URLs are right there on the page; this allows you to print the page out so users can take it home and visit the sites. Annotations should tell users why you recommend the sites.

Use photographs, not clip-art graphics. There's no excuse anymore not to post photos of your library and the great things happening there on your site. Someone at your school or public library either has a digital camera or a scanner, or knows someone who does. Take lots of photos and change them regularly. I'm aghast at how few libraries do that. Look at the Ames (IA) Public Library's (www.ames.lib.ia.us/) Virtual Tour.

And most important...

Toot your horn! There's no better place than your site to tell everyone what's great about your library, and why something will be missing in their lives if they don't visit. Remember that much of the public thinks of the library as only a collection, and this perception causes more folks than you think to say, "Well, then, I guess we don't need a library anymore, since everything's on the Net." It's your professional duty to tell site visitors that it's the staff and users, not the collection, who work the magic.