Effective Library Website Design

My own set of criteria of an effective Library Website design:

1. I like the modern look and agree that the a visual of a libraries website does make an impression on users perception of the type of library it is. Two examples are:

Camden Council Library Services:

And Campbelltown Library:

I think both sites are effective and happen to know that both are great local government libraries but the visual difference between the two, leads me to believe that one is easier to use than the other. The Campbelltown Library site fits more into the home page but it is cluttered and for the most part generic and formal, the Camden Library site is more visually attractive because of its use of colour, icons and wigits along with the addition of pictures. Although Campbelltown Library includes web 2.0 by prompting following on twitter, providing RSS feeds and blogs in my opinion, Library 2.0 has become lost on the busy home page.

2. Easy navigation - Users want fast and effective navigation and not have to read through lists of items to find where they want to go, especially if they are unsure of where to look and have to do some searching.

The camden Library includes a serch window in all segmented areas of the site.

The campbelltown library includes a google search function, but searching is carried out over the Campbelltown council web domain, of which the Library is a part of, searching is not focussed on the Library site only and thus includes irrelevent material.

3. Promotional material in prominent places.
The Camden Library home page displays coming events in the centre of the page with pictures and promotional text. The promotional material on the Campbelltown site is again lost in the lists on the homepage, 'follow us on twitter' appears as a listed item but in a different colour which does highlight the feature but could be better shown with the twitter icon.


4. Segmentation - I agree that creating a space for separate and destinct users is wise and appeals to that group more. For example a kids or youth page where specialised librarians can contribute to the content and web 2.0 features geared toward that particular group.


5. Current information that is updated on a regular basis is essential. Regular use of web 2.0 technologies to interact with users is part of this. If the web page or contacts made through web 2.0 technologies are neglected then so will the participation in the site and may effect the usage of the library.