Farmington (MI) Community Library's Youth Site
By Walter Minkel -- School Library Journal, 7/1/1998
With its pleasant palette of yellow, blue, and violet, the Farmington (MI) Community Library Youth Department's site is colorful enough to attract young users, but not so busy that it distracts them. In addition to its clean design, this site offers services that the average library site doesn't--which is why I've selected it as the SLJ Online Web Site of the Month.
Sharon Vincent (vincent@metronet.lib.mi.us), FCL Youth Services Coordinator, works with her assistants on the site's design and content. While the games, sports, and holiday links offered here are standard fare for library youth sites, there are some pages that stand out. One is the "Local Artists from Farmington" page, with graphics "loaned" by local children. Another is the "Homework Helpline" page, where FCL reference staff answer questions (www.metronet.lib.mi.us/FCL/youth/services/helpline-a.htm). The page also features a tutorial on how to ask questions for the best results.
But the most exciting page is the new "Research Project Help Site" (www.metronet.lib.mi.u/FCL/youth/assign/). Teachers from K-12 area schools send their assignments to FCL youth librarians, who then post related library materials and Internet sites. "The page is catching on slowly,"said Vincent. "I've been showing it to new teachers in the district and advertising it through a newsletter to all the teachers in all the schools." She targets both public and private schools, and by communicating regularly with area teachers, she hopes to be able to add more assignments from more classrooms next year. --Walter Minkel (wmink@teleport.com), Multnomah County (OR) Library School Corps Technology Trainer
