KidSite: Montgomery County (MD) Dept. of Public Libraries
By Walter Minkel -- School Library Journal, 12/1/1997
What are libraries doing on the Web? Here's the place to find out--School Library Journal Online's Library Web Site of the Month. Each month, I'll select a site from a school or public library that reflects what's happening in the U.S. and Canada. The Site of the Month is the place to find ideas from your colleagues already working on the Web.
To suggest a candidate, please contact me at walterm@nethost.multnomah.lib.or.us.--Walter Minkel, Multnomah County (OR) Library School Corps Technology Trainer
KidSite: Montgomery County (MD) Dept. of Public Libraries
I chose KidSite as December's Site of the Month for two reasons. First, because it's a great example of a site that is simply designed. And second, because it went online just last summer, the site is still in its early stages, growing and changing.
Denise Habib, Montgomery's Electronic Services Librarian, is KidSite's webmaster, as well as co-webmaster of the library's general site. Habib met with children's librarians Becky Rector and Michelle Schuster to plan KidSite, and they decided to have fun with it. Monty, their Rollerblading hound-dog mascot, was chosen by systemwide contest, Habib said, adding that Monty will host special features in the coming year. When you enter KidSite, you'll see the "Ask Monty" advice column for young people and their parents, a lighthearted reminder of the library's rules.
KidSite's design is deliberately simple and clear. Note the white background, the black type, and the lack of frames, animations, or other common "cutting-edge" gewgaws. The designers realized that to reach the maximum number of users in their community, including the disabled and those with older web browsers, basic is best.
The site has useful content, particularly a large number of booklists. "Booklists in print are very popular," said Habib, "and there were four new specialty lists due out at about the same time as KidSite. Everything...fell into place for us to focus on reading and writing in Phase I."
What's next? "Phase II, currently underway, is the development of homework helpers for grades three to six. Homework helpers will be collections of links on the annual classroom assignments of Montgomery County students," said Habib. They'll cover subjects ranging from ancient civilizations and weather to measurements and Native Americans. To create the pathfinders, Habib is soliciting assistance from all staff, from children's librarians to reference staff.
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Walter Minkel is Multnomah County Library (OR) School Corps Technology Trainer. |
