SIMPLE OR COMPLEX?

Building the website was a balance between making the website simple enough for people to use without it being too simple, leaving out vital information that people might be searching for as well as making it fun and informative.   Library users vary from the very young to the elderly and all have differing abilities, so the language of the site has to be simple enough for everyone to understand, but not patronising.  Many of those who use the website will have had some experience of searching the internet and online shopping while others may be visiting the site for the first time.  I have tried to make the labels clear and logical using headings that people will understand.  I have assumed that most people would like to know when the library is open, how they can join, what they can borrow and how to go about searching the catalogue, I have tried to give the most important information without causing information overload. For example if books are overdue, people will need to know what they owe and if they want to borrow items they need to know how long items can be kept for.   The site is slightly biased towards the excellent books and services that are available, if it wasnt then people wouldn't be interested in looking at the website or visitng the library which is the main reason why the site was established.

Using a template can be fairly limiting, especially if you don't know any HTML or CSS code to change or add buttons.  I tried to choose a fairly simple design that wouldn't detract from the content and I'm fairly happy with the white and blue colour scheme, however I'm not sure if this will aid those with sight impairment (see my previous post).  Obviously the website will need to be updated on a regular basis to include the new acquisitions as well as updating the course information, calendar and links so the site will need to be down for a couple of hours every week to do this (either early morning or late night).  A site maintenance schedule will need to be developed with certain areas being updated more regularly than others. The website also needs to reflect current trends for example the AnyPlace Library site has an ebook and eaudio area which is currently popular with cuatomers, but in future there may be other ways of reading and accessing material that will need to be included if people are to continue using the site and old features and technologies removed.  It will also be important to refresh the site on a regular basis, changing the colour scheme and layout slightly to prevent it from becoming stale or old-fashioned, advice should be sought from customers and staff so that any changes reflects the aims of the organisation and user needs.

The website reflects the library as a whole.  If the information is out-of-date or poorly organised then people may think that the library itself is like that and will be interested in using it.