Jurkowski states that recent surveys indicated that 90
percent of the libraries have a web site.
This statics prompted me to
explore the websites in my school district.
I am sad to report that the majority of the schools on all grade levels
did not have a web site or the site included the minimal information. I was disheartened,
having to search the school website to locate the library/media center
webpage. Many of the local schools had
the media center webpage hidden under departments. Several media center webpages only lead to
the online Destiny catalogue.
The list of websites
provided for review by Dr. Cooper was extensive. However, I felt it was necessary to make an
effort to view a good number of them to make sure I was not being too harsh on
my assessment of my school district. Wow,
does not begin to express how impressed I was with the websites. The most crucial element for me, at first
glance, was the colorful and engaging home pages. This was particularly prevalent in the
elementary and middle school sites. The
headings were simple and uncomplicated to follow. Images, animation and podcasts were used to
assist the entire group of stakeholders maneuver the site with comfort and
ease. This was a tremendous improvement
from the webpages featured by the local schools in my district.
I do not consider the plain old webpage to be outdated. Many of the exemplary webpages had blogs and
wiki pages available for various content areas.
The use of new Web 2.0 technology can be integrated into the webpage. The technology and resources that are
directly related to improving student achievement is needed on the media center
webpage. This will be different for each
school. However, the wiki pages that
explain to students and parents how to use the various online resources that
have been purchased for their use is extremely important. The digital library is available 24 hours a
day 7 days a week.
I really liked being able to locate the media center webpage
with ease. I liked reading about the
library staff. It was great to have
pictures and videos of the media center.
It was very convenient to have an interactive calendar to reserve
equipment and time in the media center.
It was awesome that teacher projects, assignments and webpages were
either listed or linked to the media center webpage. I was thrilled to see the book fairs
listed. The online resources were
available with brief explanation on what they were and how to use them. The virtual tour of the media center which
included library policies for students and teachers was great. An online E-books catalogue was outstanding.
I see the value of a media center webpage. The user friendly webpages addressed the
needs of the student, parent, faculty member and administrator. I like the benefit of having critical
information available with no restriction of time. The media center is the heart of the
educational facility. The webpage is
another important aspect to improving student achievement. Time and financial resources would be well
spent to enhance the capability of the media center webpage.
Your assessment of local school library media center websites is indicative, I believe, of the lack of training and/or age gap with many library media specialists. I am not trying to say that old dogs can't be taught new tricks, but creating a website is not a priority for everyone. On the other hand, I can also see how negligence can stem from a lack of time or possible funding. Library media specialists have a lot of responsibility on their shoulders and I can see how maintaining a website is not high on the list of priorities, whether it is determined by them or not! Great post!
ReplyDeleteI have reviewed a few sites from my own county, and I found that the majority of them were the same. They pretty much all had the same format, and the same resources available. I am not sure if this is because of county requirements, or if it is because one media specialist did it that way, and the others liked what they saw and used it as an example to follow. There are obvious pros and cons to each media center in the county having the same web site. If students move around in the county and have to go to a different school, it will be easier for them to make the transition. The same is true for relocating teachers. It also shows a kind of equitable distribution of resources. Some of the schools in my county are in economically disadvantaged areas. It would be terrible if those students did not have access to the same materials as others. On the other hand, if every web page is the same, or has the same content, it seems like there is a stifling of creativity. If there is some bare minimum requirement from the county, will the media specialists feel the need to do more? Will they do what is expected, or will they reach beyond that and do something new? I suppose it really just depends on the person and their drive. It is my hope the media specialists would always be looking to update and add materials that will help teachers and students.
ReplyDeleteI think LMC websites are a great idea. I have seen several that were great. As you said, color and layout make a big impact. The best ones I saw had colored background, but not a tiled picture. They also had easily identifiable icons and links. Some of the less appealing sites were plain white with long paragraphs describing different aspects of the site. Good ones have pictures and geometric frames. Boring ones have plain pictures with very little color around them.
ReplyDeleteIt's very similar to how I shop for paperback books. If the cover is not eye-catching with a cute title, I pass. Websites are the same. If the home page is boring, I would probably go somewhere else.
Many of the media center pages that I have looked serve as a basic site to provide hours and checkout policies. Very few offer anything of real value to the user. If you need the phone number or name of the media specialist, you can find that, but I did not see very many resources linked to the pages. In some cases there are lists linked but they are very basic. It sounds like you found some good sites with lots of tools.
ReplyDelete