Meet the Masters
Charlotte Library’s Web sites stand out. Here’s why
By Kathy Ishizuka -- School Library Journal, 11/1/2005
Online services for children and teens present a dynamic opportunity for library Web developers, yet libraries have barely explored their potential in this area, according to a recent report.
One noted exception is the Public Library of Charlotte-Mecklenburg County (PLCMC). Praised for its novel online content for kids, PLCMC provides a unique service to Charlotte-area children, states the report, Current Practices and Future Plans of Public Library Webmasters.
Released last month by the Primary Research Group, a NY-based independent research firm, the report is based on interviews with the Webmasters of nine public libraries across the country.
One interview subject, Chuck Rigney, PLCMC Web services manager, supervises the library’s 16 independent, linked sites and is among three full-time staff that comprise the Web services department.
Rigney says the main library site averages an impressive 600,000 page views per month, with the children’s sites, including the BookHive, a children’s book review site, drawing even more visitors. But it’s a satellite site that is the library’s most popular—StoryPlace.org, a lively digital library for children, boasts more than a million page views each month.
Rigney says the concept of StoryPlace “was to take original stories written by library staff and put them online so that parents can sit down with their children at the computer.” The interactive stories, done in flash animation, thanks to a state grant, are accompanied by site themes that include a book list with staff-written reviews, links to the catalog, and craft activities.
Just how does a staff of three manage so many high-traffic sites? With a little help from their friends, says Rigney. Web teams, comprised of librarians and other personnel, are organized around every online project to develop and manage content. “None of us can type,” Rigney says jokingly of the Web services staff. And even if they could, it would be impossible to create original material for all the sites. “Library staff are our greatest resource for content,” he says.
Another key element is marketing. Each site is independently submitted to search engines, which fosters greater exposure online, according to Rigney.
But a big draw to the kids themselves may likely be the personalization features of the PLCMC sites. “Our Homework Help Web site allows users to create a personalized page that links to the subscription databases that they want to use,” Rigney explains. “They may also choose different options that affect the site’s appearance and add links to their favorite sites.” PLCMC is also considering adding RSS to the sites, among other technologies, providing teens with the ability to post their creative work online.
That’s all well and good, one might say, for a major urban library with a $29 million annual budget. So what’s Rigney’s best advice to other libraries, including those with more modest resources? “I definitely recommend using staff Web teams,” he says. “Every library’s most important asset is its staff. They have great ideas about what patrons want on the Web site because they work with them face-to-face every day. Do whatever you can to provide tools for staff to create and maintain content.”
