No coding required
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No Coding Required Basic Library Website Development 1 Robbie Bolton, Assistant Library Director Karen Parsons, Reference/Information Literacy Librarian White Library, Spring Arbor University, Spring Arbor, MI Poster Session, Association of Christian Librarians Annual Conference June 13, 2012
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No Coding RequiredBasic Library Website Development
Robbie Bolton, Assistant Library DirectorKaren Parsons, Reference/Information Literacy LibrarianWhite Library, Spring Arbor University, Spring Arbor, MI
Poster Session, Association of Christian Librarians Annual ConferenceJune 13, 2012
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Abstract
For many small to mid-size libraries, having a “web person” or the IT support to create a well-designed and functional library website is a luxury. Using web 2.0 tools, namely Wordpress blogging software, librarians can create a quality library website, with little if any knowledge of programming code. If a librarian can upload posts and photos to Facebook, they can create a Wordpress site – no coding required.
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Why Wordpress?
• Easy to use• Affordable (i.e., free or mostly free)• Pre-designed “themes”• Multiple users can manage content• Ready-made “Plug-ins” can be added to your
site• Knowledge of HTML or another coding
language is not a necessity.
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(1) Add a title to your post
(2) Add your content
(3) Add links or insert photo
(4) Publish your post
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Libraries and Web Design
• Often library websites are guilty of including too much information leading to a cluttered look
• Cluttered design hides quality information
• Less is more. Open space is your friend. Just because you have space doesn’t mean you have to use it.
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Words have Consequences• Design matters, but so does vocabulary• Librarian jargon often doesn’t communicate
effectively with our patrons• Words like: database, catalog, periodical, index,
abstract, have little or no meaning for our users.• Use natural, or plain, language on your library
website. “Find Books” or “Finding the books”• DO: use words “such as Book or Article, that
correspond to the end product the user is seeking”
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Our attempt at employing a simple, clean design using as much “natural language” as we are comfortable with. We really can’t take credit for the design as it is just a Wordpress theme we selected.
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BibliographyGoldberg, Beverly. 2011. “WordPress as a Library CMS.” accessed June 8, 2012, http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/columns/dispatches- field/wordpress-library-cms.
Jones, Kyle M. L., and Polly-Alida Farrington. 2011. Using WordPress as a Library Content Management System. ALA TechSource.
Jones, Kyle M., and Polly-Alida Farrington. 2012. Learning from Libraries That Use Wordpress: Content-management System Best Practices and Case Studies. American Library Association.
Kupersmith, John. 2012. Library Terms That Users Understand. UC Berkeley: UC Berkeley Library, accessed June 8, 2012, http://escholarship.org/uc/item/3qq499w7
Krug, Steve. 2005. Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, 2nd Edition. 2nd ed. New Riders Press.
McKay, Dana. 2011. “This is not a test: user-oriented evaluation of the digital academic library.” Paper presented at the International Conference on Theory and Practice of Digital Libraries, Berlin, Germany, September 26-28.
Wordpress & Libraries Facebook group, accessed June 8, 2012,http://www.facebook.com/groups/214139591937761/
“WordPress.com.” WordPress. http://wordpress.com/.
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Questions/Contact Info
Robbie BoltonAssistant Library DirectorWhite LibrarySpring Arbor [email protected] 750 6434twitter: @robbiebolton
Karen ParsonsReference/Information Literacy LibrarianWhite LibrarySpring Arbor [email protected] 750 6436
