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TOP 10 MUST DO

for media center websites 

10. Encourage patron/parent traffic by targeting the specific audience.
Have a "Just for students","Just for parents", and "Just for teachers" section on your website. Have relevant information for each constituency that you are targeting and encourage them to use your site by placing valuable information that is targeted towards them.


9. Update Often.
There is nothing worse than getting to a website to see that the information on the site is really outdated. (It takes about 5 seconds to see if that is the case!) Make sure that you are updating on a regular basis. Classroom teachers are required to update their site weekly at our school. This would be a good schedule for the SLMS to follow as well.

8. Use pictures and videos.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, video must be worth a million words. Include things like virtual tours of the Media Center, pictures of events the media center has recently hosted, pictures of students "caught" reading or using the Media Center in a positive way. One can also include pictures of student work on display and even book recommendation videos from teachers or other students.
 
7. Make it accessible/usable for all students.
If one is in an elementary school, make sure that kindergarten non-readers as well as 5th grade students can all understand and navigate the site. Also keep in mind that some students with visual or hearing impairments may need to use your site. Be aware of the needs of ALL students in the school and one can ensure that the Media Center site will be a favorite among all students. 

6. Have your contact information and general library information easy to find.
They love you. They need you. They have to be able to find you. If students or teachers are at home and need to ask you a question, how can they contact you? If they can easily see your email address by having the link on the front page of the Media Center site, it will ensure that the questions they wonder about can get answered -- even if they forget about it by morning.

Another good thing to have on your website is your general schedule so that those who may need you can see what you have going on in one day. I loved how this website put the schedule of the Media Center on the right side of the screen. You could see what was planned day-by-day and it put everything in one place. Check out this link to see what I am talking about: (http://horacemannimc.blogspot.com/)


5. Include the OPAC, databases, and other district-funded or other useful links.
By having the links to the OPAC, purchased databases, district-funded, or other links in an easy to access format, it will have students, teachers, and parents coming back to your website again and again.To me, there is nothing worse than having hyperlinks pasted on a website to click on. For some reason, it is much more fun to click on a "button" or a picture.

This site shows how the buttons are much more "clean" looking and make the website look more organized then a bunch of hyperlinks. (http://www.noblesvilleschools.org/Page/1464)

4. Incorporate Web 2.0
 One of the questions that Dr. Cooper posed on the Blog 2 assignment link was whether we should scrap websites all together, or move them more towards a blog/wiki type of site. HOWEVER -- I don't think it should be an either/or thing. I think it needs to be a both/and thing. The most successful website incorporate Web 2.0 into their site.
I have seen other websites (non-SLMC) incorporate Twitter feeds and Instagram feeds onto their page. I think this is the way that the Media Center could easily incorporate Web 2.0. I also think that easily adding a blog or wiki onto one of the pages on the website could be an easy way for Web 2.0 and your site to merge.

3. Have resources easy to access and locate and ADVERTISE your site.
I cannot STAND searching on a site for something specific and not being able to find it. Make sure that your students, parents, and teachers can easily access and locate the information that they need for their state.
Have tabs at the top of your page that easily explain what that page contains. Make sure that your pages only contain the things that the main heading states. From there, make sure that your pages are updated and organized so that patrons are not overwhelmed or easily frustrated. If they have a positive experience with your site, they will most likely be back.
Post your site everywhere you can -- use QR codes outside the media center so parents and teachers can access your site from their smartphones --even if you are closed for the day. Make sure that people know you have a site that you want them to use!

 2. Use the free resources out there to build your site.
With so many free website builders out there, there is no reason to pay for someone to build your site! Sites such as Weebly and Wix provide free templates with easy to use elements. Most sites take about an hour to initially build. Once you go live, you can always add more pages or elements to make it specific to your population and what their specific needs are.

1. Use your site as an extension of teacher's lessons.
Have teachers use your site to help drive their instruction. Include links to resources that support student learning and raise student achievement. Find ways that your site can support teachers instructions, like including WebQuests or Pathfinders on your site.

The following site gave a really great way for that to happen. Scroll to where it states, "Grade-Level Resources" and then look below for specific grade-levels. Once you click on the grade-level you need, it brings you to the resources specific to that grade-level. Students or teachers can easily click on the resources they need to find what they need.
(http://www.noblesvilleschools.org/domain/491)




So there you have it folks! By using even a handful of these elements, your website will be well on its way to being a step above the average site out there. Good luck in your creations!