Go look at your library’s website. Now, go look at the website of the library nearest yours. Now go look at some big city’s website. Heck, go look at most websites I’ve done. And, while you’re looking, pretend that you’re a patron with any of the following questions/needs: “I’m a sixth-grader and I have a… Continue reading What if your library’s website solved problems?
Tag: webdesign
Is your library’s website costing your patrons money?
For several years, I was a lucky customer of Verizon with a grandfathered, unlimited data plan. Last year, in an attempt to shove us freeloader-types overboard, Verizon jacked up the price of unlimited plans by an insane amount. Rather than be extorted, I moved over to Google Fi. The point here, however, is not how… Continue reading Is your library’s website costing your patrons money?
Get the web details you need–FAST
Today’s post discusses my latest “Headache Avoidance” tool. If you work on designing and/or developing websites, you are almost certainly accustomed to vague conversations, that don’t give you all of the details you might need in order to troubleshoot an issue. In my experience, library staff rarely know what exact OS or browser version they’re looking at,… Continue reading Get the web details you need–FAST
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
Make your web colors better
Colors can be fun, but they can also be complicated. There’s a lot of psychology involved with choosing colors as well. I really enjoy putting together or finding color palettes for different websites or projects that I get to work on, but the task is always accompanied by a sense of knowing that a lot… Continue reading Make your web colors better
My teddy bear web design tools
Some people have a teddy bear. Some people have a security blanket. I have some little browser extensions that make me feel better on a daily basis, that are far more useful than Mr. Teddy. I’m willing to share these; the people with teddy bears and blankets probably won’t. So here are some of my… Continue reading My teddy bear web design tools
Why responsive design can be scarier than dating Taylor Swift
If you didn’t know already, your library’s site should be responsive. Having a separate mobile site is no longer good practice. Heck, even Google is penalizing non-responsive websites. If your library’s website isn’t responsive already, you’re way, way behind the curve and you should feel horribly guilty about it. That’s the message you’ve probably… Continue reading Why responsive design can be scarier than dating Taylor Swift
Why library websites don’t win awards
I wasn’t able to share this at my Computers in Libraries presentation (not enough time!), so I wanted to post it here. What other issues do you see that consistently plague library websites?