Great Site-Seeing

Several libraries have demonstrated true vision creating their Web sites, but few have been more enterprising than the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County(PLCMC), NC. StoryPlace, the library's new site for kids, is a beautifully designed, well-executed site that, when completed, will be both interactive and bilingual for visitors ranging from preschoolers to third graders. At present, only the preschool section is up.

The Challenge: The site was masterminded early in 1999 by Helene Blowers, PLCMC's Web services director (hblowers@plcmc.lib.nc.us), and Gayle Libberton, children's services manager (glibberton@plcmc.lib.nc.us). It was created when Library Director Bob Cannon challenged Blowers to "develop a bilingual children's Web site that would provide children with the virtual experience of coming to a library." Blowers turned to a team of children's services staff who brainstormed about the design and the content for the preschool section.

The Content: Funding came out of the library's regular budget, with most of the money allocated for a graphic designer. The site that is running to date took the designer eight months to finish. Children's services staff on the team storyboarded tales and activities and the designer and Blowers then turned them into finished Web pages with animations and audio files (using Macromedia Flash and Adobe Illustrator). The total effect is very similar to a "Living Books" CD-ROM and operates in a developmentally appropriate way.

En Espanol: Translating the finished stories and activities into Spanish proved tougher than it looked, says Blowers, "since translations aren't literal and sometimes words do not translate well." But Spanish-speaking users have praised the site.