When we look at a library website, there are a multitude of decisions that likely went into its creation, and it’s not always easy to discern why or how those decisions were made.
Category: websites
Your building is not your product
The building ISN’T the library, but it is part of the library’s identity.
When it comes to your library’s website, are you a climate change denier?
Without data, you’re just another person with an opinion. W. Edwards Deming One of the least comfortable parts of my job as a web developer/designer is to convince library clients that certain things they may think they want are not actually in their best interests. People often have things in mind that they think “look… Continue reading When it comes to your library’s website, are you a climate change denier?
Is Alexa killing off websites? Not quite.
I ran across this Medium post by tech futurist Michael Spencer the other day. In it, Spencer claims that websites are about to disappear because of AI-powered voice assistants, like Alexa. (It’s pretty short, I suggest you take a moment to at least scan it before reading on, here). It wasn’t all that long ago that… Continue reading Is Alexa killing off websites? Not quite.
Level up your library’s website with this one little thing
In 2016, my workplace did a study to determine the state of various issues on public library websites in Ohio. One of the numbers that was concerning was the widespread lack of a favicon. Over 45% of the 171 libraries evaluated didn’t have one. If you’re unfamiliar with it, the term is simply a mashup… Continue reading Level up your library’s website with this one little thing
What’s still missing from Ohio public library websites?
Recently, at my place of work, we decided to do a broad survey of Ohio’s public library websites for some basic functionality and features. We wanted to get an idea of just how many websites still had major problems (or not). We looked at 169 different systems*. The results were a bit discouraging. Here is… Continue reading What’s still missing from Ohio public library websites?
The plural of anecdote isn’t data
A couple of weeks ago, I tweeted this: How many times have you heard “But the patrons want…” with no real data to back it up? #libux — Laura Solomon (@laurasolomon) November 5, 2015 The response to that, both online and off, was very interesting. It was liked and retweeted a bit, but… Continue reading The plural of anecdote isn’t data
Shifting our website from promotional to actually useful
For the past several months, I’ve been enmeshed in the writing of a(nother) book, on a topic that only marginally involves websites. During my research, I read a terrific book by marketing expert Jay Baer, called Youtility. In his book, Baer discusses the huge shift that online marketing is currently undergoing: from being purely a promotional… Continue reading Shifting our website from promotional to actually useful
Spring cleaning for your library’s website
Allegedly, we’re heading into some season that doesn’t necessarily involve horrible weather and the desire to hibernate. Perhaps, you might be thinking about cleaning things out after the long winter. Hopefully, that urge includes your library’s website. In that vein, I offer up a list of some posts here at Mean Laura, that may help you and… Continue reading Spring cleaning for your library’s website
3 things you can learn from other websites
Let’s start with defining “other” here: I mean sites that aren’t library websites. If you do nothing else, I want you to get out of the habit at looking at other library sites for inspiration. No, really, I mean it. Why? As a profession, libraries are too insular. Quit looking at your peers; often, they’re… Continue reading 3 things you can learn from other websites
How well do you know your web usability myths?
Learn about more common UX myth at http://uxmyths.com/. [qzzr quiz=”26203″ width=”100%” height=”auto” redirect=”true” offset=”0″]
Carousels: time to go
Carousels have almost become ubiquitous. I am frequently asked about them when I start designing a site for a library. I often. now, make it clear that these don’t represent a good design choice. Yes, they’re convenient. They seemingly solve the problem of how to fit all that “stuff” on the front page. They’re flashy… Continue reading Carousels: time to go
3 truths about your library’s website
I create websites for public libraries. I’ve been doing that for more than 15 years. In that time, I’ve learned a few things, especially in my current job, where I work on sites for multiple libraries. I’ve learned some hard truths about these sites, and sometimes I’ve shared those with the clients I’ve worked with. … Continue reading 3 truths about your library’s website
Stop putting out the “welcome mat”
The temptation is overwhelming. After all, libraries are friendly places, right? We wouldn’t want our patrons to think they weren’t welcome. It’s so nice and friendly to put a big “Welcome to our library website!” heading at the top of the front page, right? Sorry…no. Remember, every square inch of your library’s website is extremely… Continue reading Stop putting out the “welcome mat”