Case Study Week Two
School Media Website Specs

A Comparison of several GUIs

• USM Library - catlogusmai

  • Pros
    1. Allows searching of both books and journals, in addition to other library owned materials
    2. Navigation is static. Horizontal navigation bear stays the same.
    3. On the records for individual items indexes (author, subject, etc) are linked for browsing.
    4. Users may search by keyword or browse.
  • Cons
    1. The buttons are too small for elementary school students.
    2. No icons or meaningful graphics are used.
    3. The font is too small for elementary school students.
    4. Content includes items owned by the library system only.
  
  

• Prince George's County Library Catalog

  • Pros
    1. Users may search by keyword or browse.
    2. Simple design of catalog includes large buttons.
    3. Navigation is static. Vertical navigation bar stays the same.
  • Cons
    1. The website is too busy. Two vertical navigation bars, plus a pull-down menu and horizontal navigation bar make for a complicated design.
    2. No icons or meaningful graphics are used.
    3. Internal pages do not match appearance or navigation of starting page.
    4. The catalog is virtually text only.
  
  

• Arlington Public Library’s Kids Catalog Web

  • Pros
    1. Dynamic, colorful design that incorporates large buttons and icons.
    2. Entry headers within individual records are easy to understand (It's by," "It's about."
    3. Search results include a link to “See web pages”
    4. Several ways to find information
    5. Events links to a more adult page with hours, etc.
  • Cons
    1. Start page is virtually text free. There are no instructions. Icons may not be intuitive for students.
    2. Information for parents and about the catalog is available only through the "Events" link.
  
  

• KidSpace at the Internet Public Library

  • Pros
    1. Bright, interesting design.
    2. Main navigation with a changing icon when links are moused over.
    3. Allows for browsing through main navigation or searching in top navigation bar.
    4. Content includes websites, digital books, and other types of media.
    5. "You are here" feature allows user to see where they are in the navigation at all times.
  • Cons
    1. Links on side to “features” also appear on right. Redundancy makes screen a little busy.
    2. User must scroll down to see all links.
    3. Too many clicks are necessary to get to final website or media.
  
  

• International Children's Digital Library

  • Pros
    1. Offers both a browse and search function.
    2. Images of book covers in brief results are useful for selection.
    3. "Book preview" gives basic bibliographic information and indexing.
  • Cons
    1. Does not resize for browser.
    2. Requires software that ay not be available to all users.
    3. Although "categories" are linked in "Book preview," other indexes (author, etc) are not.

Specifications for an Elementary School Media Catalog

An elementary school media center library catalog must incorporate many different elements. It must be accessible for students from grades K through 5 and support the curriculum and learning. Below are some of important specifications.

• Large, colorful buttons that incorporate icons for intuitive navigation.
• Welcoming colors and lots of "white" space.
• A compact start page that does not require scrolling.
• One navigation bar, rather then two or three.
• Images of book covers and previews of websites.
• A menu driven navigation system that shows users where they are at all times.
• The ability to both search and browse.
• Linked indexes of major portions of bibliographic records for easier browsing.
• A clear set of selection criteria.
• Clear, concise instructions and pointers.
• Content to include:
  1. Bibliographic information on books owned by media center.
  2. PDFs and other digital versions of books and documents.
  3. Links to useful websites and databases.
• The ability to print or save search results.
• Overall appeal for students.

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Posted 9/22/03 11:15 pm