Redesigning Your LMC Website
by Brian Blanton, Union Grove High School
Question: Is your library media website a tool for research
and instruction?
For many years, my library media center website was an attractive, informative
medium through which the media center’s programs, policies, and general
operating information were communicated. However, this type of website generated
very little interest or traffic from high school patrons. In short, it was
a boring site with little to offer.
However, after redesigning the site with research and instruction in mind,
my media center partner and I have seen an exponential increase in its use.
It has also become a great tool for getting teachers in the door to collaborate.
Of course, the site still features our programs and operating hours, but the
main focus is now on research and instruction.
The key traffic-generating feature has been the site’s Teacher
Projects section. In this section, the media staff posts a custom
web page for many of the assignments and projects that take place in the media
center. The media specialists create these custom pages after collaborating
with the classroom teacher. The pages often include the teacher’s handouts,
grading rubrics, topic lists, and other assignment related items. Additionally,
the media specialists add links to quality web resources and provide express
links to the GALILEO databases most relevant to the assignment. The idea is
to provide students with a single location for all project related information
in a format they enjoy using.
Some other elements that keep patrons returning to the site include:
- Test Prep Page – This page links
to helpful online resources for the many standardized tests
our students face. These resources include the SAT, ACT, Georgia
High School Graduation Test, AP Exam, EOCT, etc.
- Online Catalog Access – Links to
our library media center OPAC and also to other local library
OPACs. The media center OPAC link is located on the site’s
front page. Links to other catalogs are on the Research page.
- Basic Reference Resources (Dictionary,
Encyclopedia, etc.) – As a high school, we link to the
Britannica Online High School resources in GALILEO.
- Locally purchased online subscriptions (Facts
on File, Wilson Biography Reference, netTrekker . . .)
- Express Links to GALILEO databases most
often used by our students.
- Newspapers (local, regional, Newspaper
Source in GALILEO)
- Research page – This page features
research resources that complement projects, assignments, and
special events at the school. This page is not intended to
be a comprehensive list of research links; rather, it provides
links based on teacher assignments and school programs. These
may include Science Fair, Black History Month, ROTC resources,
or any other links teachers request us to post.
- In the near future, we hope to add a Reading Blog to
keep our readers connected to other readers in the school (and
us).
Basically, we have tried to provide our online patrons with resources that
are as equivalent as possible to what they use in the library media center.
This has increased the site’s usage, has provided collaboration opportunities
with our teachers, and helps us to more directly support the school’s
Continuous Improvement Plan. For more information, feel free to contact me
at bblanton@henry.k12.ga.us
A slide show and other resources on this topic from the GaCOMO
presentation “Redesigning Your Library Media Website” can
be found at:
http://www.henry.k12.ga.us/ugh/como/resources.htm