Tell us what you think of the new format!
What makes a good library website? The OPLIN staff had a chance to think of the options as we recently created the OPLIN Annual Report to Stakeholders. Is it simply about the usability, or is it about the experience users have when they are there? We knew it wasn’t about the layout, color scheme or the Drupal software. It’s about creating a website we would want to visit.
Here are some ways to make your library website THE place to be.
- What is a “real-time library?” Does that mean re-creating the in-person library experience? Does it mean the website is interactive? Does it have to do with how web social the library is? All of the above!
- In the article “Ten Things to Think about when Designing Digital Experiences,” David Lee King explains that a digital library presence should allow patrons to connect with people, not just the hardware and software.
- How many e-mails leave your library each day? From overdue notices to newsletters, patrons receive correspondence from you on a regular basis. Here is one experience we may want to emulate: the PERSONAL response. Posted by HeleneB, here is “A little lesson from Pandora.”
- Your website statistics will show you what your patrons want. View them and pay attention to them. In this article, “The Most Popular Search Term at the Library is…” the NY Public Library discovered exactly what their customers were looking for and most certainly made changes that the customers appreciated.
If the goal is to stimulate learning and creativity, should it be limited to inside your walls? Give ’em what they want — a good experience — in person and online.
