I know websites are soooo yesterday but they still remain the virtual billboard/branch for most libraries - the place to display or deploy all the virtual toys we love to use and share.  So this post is about YOUR library website, which often evokes a love/hate response from staff.  Do you really respect your website?  Or is it a poor step-child of the library?  Do you make it really WORK for the library?

If you are on the Oregon list (Lib-OR) you may have recently read a post asking a daring question about library websites.  Do they have too much stuff?  This person was considering stripping his library’s website down to the bare essentials: contact info, library catalog, link to databases.

Basically I was hearing him say “Do we have so much darn stuff on our websites that our users can’t find ANYTHING??”  I’m aware of the rules about proper placement, eye movement, number of clicks, etc. but REALLY - if you are a public library you have to be all things to all people and that muddies the message in a big way.  So our web sites (so often a mere afterthought with no dedicated staffing or budget) might appear somewhat …. schizo? 

We are promoting content: print, electronic, audio, visual and games.  
We are announcing events: summer reading, book talks, therapy dogs, computer classess, teen groups, senior programs and so on.  
We are try to reach everyone: families, singles, students, seniors, businesses & alternative live styles. 
We are adding new “toys”: blogs, RSS feeds, Flickr, Twitter, IM and virtual reference.

Does our website look like the mother of all garage sales?  Would less be more?  Should we do away with some of our “stuff” or is it really an issue of design and placement and we just haven’t hit the mark yet?  Voluntary simplicity for websites…it’s the next big thing