Developing and maintaining a media center web page is a wonderful opportunity for a media specialist to show off her resources and capabilities when it comes to technology! Many parents may not get to visit the media center in person, but can access the web page either from home or work. It is also convenient for teachers and students to be able to access the information outside of school hours.
I think there is some basic information that needs to be on every media center web page. Contact information for the media specialist, including hours of operation of the center and a link to e-mail the media specialist should be included at the very minimum. I think it is wonderful to post pictures and/or video of the media center as well. Pictures and video of recent events (author visits) and school events (Spring Carnival) should be posted as well. This will help drive people to the site. I can picture students going home and asking their parents to log on to the site to see what happened at school that week or even to see a picture or video of themselves!
The media center web page should include links to teacher web pages, kid friendly search engines and research sites. The information for research sites and “fun” site should be divided by grade level. For parents, I think it would be helpful to have information listed such as the number of resources allowed to be checked out by grade level and the amount of time for a resource allowed to be checked out. Links to reading program sites, such as Accelerated Reader, are also helpful for parents trying to check their child’s progress and those keeping tabs on their child’s AR goal for the quarter. There should ALWAYS be a link to the OPAC!! I have seen media center web sites without a link to the OPAC, and I don’t understand why anyone would not want that resource available to their students from home!
When I look at web pages, I like the ones that don’t have too much text and don’t have a cluttered page. I really like the use of color and graphics to denote subject. I believe teachers should be able to visit the web page and view the media center calendar so they can sign up for a visit, story time, or lesson. An idea that was mentioned in our Jurkowski text that I liked was to list community information such as local attractions (zoo, museums, etc.) in order to interest parents in going to the site.
Media specialists should take care to keep their web page updated. There is nothing worse than going to a site and reading incredibly out dated information (I’ve seen some with information from a year ago) or to click on a link that no longer works. I understand that will happen sometimes, but the site should be checked for accuracy on a regular basis.
One elementary level media web page I really like is Findley Oaks Elementary: http://www.findleyoaksmediacenter.com/. Check it out!
It is important to remember that a media center is just that, a MEDIA center; this should include a varied presentation of media. Some still refer to the media center as a library, but "library" is built from "librum" - "book". Our media centers need to reflect the variety of media in the collection. This should include the online tools available. You mention this with your inclusion of pictures and video.
ReplyDeleteCertainly students/parents would be more likely to visit a site that feels important to them. Having content created by, or specifically for, those patrons could help increase site traffic.
You questioned why a district/school might have page without a link to the OPAC. While many schools have changed over to tools like Destiny that allows this, other schools may be working with an older catalog system. My school for example did not have this option but spent local money for Destiny to be able to add this, and many other, features.
I like the way you drive the point of how important it is to for media specialists to use their creativity to "show off" the media center by allowing the web page to be used as a resource. It is important that the media center make use of the technology as both instructional and community resources. The idea of providing information to parents for community outings such as the zoo and/or a museum is definitely a way to get them to rely upon the webpage as a way to remain connected to what is going on at the school and community as a whole. It also gives parents ways to connect school, home and community. As I spend time at the various school's web pages, I am amazed at the limitless possibilities available for such a valuable resource. The media center web page is yet another way to advocate the worth of the media specialist in our schools.
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