Ok,
according to the readings for this week, we can all see that most librarians
are maintaining websites – 90% to be exact.
The big question is how to organize the site and what to include. This made me really embarrassed about my
site. Being a first year media
specialist, maintaining my website, has not – as it should have been - on the
top of my list. According to Jurkowski, the minimum that should be included on
a media center website is:
1)
points
of access to electronic sources
2)
link
to find print sources
3)
shared
news and updates
4)
library
information and policies
But it’s
a good idea to include:
1)
links
to specific teacher assignments
2)
bibliographic
aids
3)
catalogs
4)
databases
5)
local
institutions like museums, zoo, parks, historical sites
6)
library
contact information (Warlick say contact information should be on EVERYTHING
multiple times – letterhead, business cards, phone messages, etc)
The
primary reason for a webpage is to enable communication between students,
librarians and teachers. There are many
popular tools for creating sites and after last week’s blog assignments on
Wiki’s, I plan to include a Wiki link to my existing page; however, regardless
of the tools, the content on the page is what is important along with getting
people to view and return to the site.
Media
Center websites that are created and maintained by the media specialist tend to
have a wider scope and be more rigorous.
They are more likely to include instructional materials, class
resources, webmaster name, websites by subject, WebQuest, author pages, and links
to government and news. Of course the
obvious is . . . the more library staff - the more frequently the page tends to
be updated. We all know in these times
of budget and staff cuts, we don’t always have the help we need – especially in
the elementary library; however, we can’t allow this to be an excuse to not
develop and maintain this important communication tools for our schools.
When you
create your webpage keep in mind the goals for your school and for you as a
media specialist. As a media specialist
you are there to assist students in becoming successful learners, support
teachers in creating a meaningful learning experience while keeping up with the
contemporary informational environment we face today.
Ok – you
got your audience to “click” on your site – how do you keep them coming
back? Warlick had some valuable
suggestions. Make sure your page is
prominently featured on your school webpage.
Make sure your URL is on EVERYTHING you handout or present. Include links of interest to the season and the
community. Keep your site updated and
have current information relevant to students and parents at your school – like
if you use Accelerated Reader, have links to aid parents and students. Include weather, fun sites, homework help and
online magazines. Make your site
interactive. Include book reviews from
students and parents.
The
media center website is the window into your library. Use it to your benefit and keep students,
teachers, and parents coming back for more.
Your blog on the media center website is very interesting. I am currently in a school what does not have a media center website. My class visits the library on a weekly basis. With our recent introduction of Accelerated Reader a media center website would be very useful in filling some of the gaps. The consequences of website leaves the teacher, students, and parents at a loss for what resources the media center and the media specialists can provide. I really appreciate your sharing with me the main components of a successful media center. I will make sure that when I go in to interview my local media specialist I ask the question. In a time where the resources provided to the media center have been cut along with the personnel, the website holds a greater place in the scheme of making all stakeholders aware of what services are actually available.
ReplyDeleteMake sure your URL is on EVERYTHING! – Very good point. Advertising is key! I never considered how much information the school sends home to our students and parents. This is a great opportunity to promote our site. Every SLMS has a bulletin board to design and maintain. Why not include the website as the main feature for one month? Include some of the same features that are displayed on the website to be displayed on the bulletin board so that students and teachers alike know what resources are available to them. Send a snapshot of the page in an email to teachers, administrators and parents to let them know what’s new this week (especially if there hasn’t been anything new in a while). Repetition is important. The more often a link, website or blog is brought to the attention of our library community, the more likely they are to visit. I most certainly believe in student and parent volunteers. This would be a perfect opportunity for local high school students to acquire some community service hours by assisting with the website. There could be a library club. These students could review books (while they review for the Reading Bowl) and prepare videos about their top picks to be posted on the website. When students and parents are aware that their classmate/child/student is featured on the site, it might inspire them to stop by.
ReplyDeleteThe job of webmaster is becoming the duty of the teacher-librarian at more and more schools, I had no idea that 90% of school websites were maintained by the teacher-librarian. As this becomes the job of the teacher-librarian’s duty it is important for us in this profession to learn about technology and social media. Promoting the media center’s website with our URL or a QR code embedded in school newsletters or on checkout receipts for materials is a great way to drive traffic to the site. Having the school’s policies and procedures is also a very important component of the media center’s website. This information includes important information for the daily functions of the media center and member of the media center committee. The teacher-librarian should make sure to promote new materials, media center events, and teacher collaboration tools on the media center’s home page.
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned something that I really like--it's a good idea to include links to specific teacher assignments. In my dream world, the LMC site would include very organized links to each grade and/or subject. If everything was linked through one site, it would become THE site for the school to use. I think the librarian is the perfect person to organize and maintain such a vital resource.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that the site needs to be both interactive and well-advertised for people to want to visit. I do not have my own library yet, and the school in which I work doesn't have a LMC site, so I am curious--how useful are everyone's sites? I know we said 90% have them, but I wonder how much they're used. How can we make sure they're useful?
Great post; thanks!
Whitney
Hi Cindy,
ReplyDeleteIt was funny reading your post because I have felt the same way about my site. I too am a first year media specialist and feel embarrassed about my site. I have so many things going on that I have not had time or made it a priority enough to change my site from how I inherited it. Mine has basic minimal information on it and broken links. I am not the webmaster for my school, so I had to send information to the webmaster to make changes. But, I did not change anything major, just my information and the broken links. I am happy to say that I have recently gotten permission from my principal to have access to the media center section of the page so I can edit it myself. I am actually going through training this week. I enjoyed reviewing the minimum list of things to include on the page. I had not thought of including local institutions like parks and museums, but think that is a great idea. I think like you stated, it is important to keep goals in mind for your school. What would be best for your particular school environment? The tips for keeping patrons coming back were great. Put our URL on everything…I had not thought of that. Listing community information is also another great idea. I know I surely would like to include book reviews from students. I am sure they will enjoy doing that and seeing it online. I think you have given some great tips to design and maintaining a beneficial resource.