Evaluation Criteria Assessment
After reading articles by Walter Minkel and Annette Lamb's evaluation criteria for
websites, I created the following list of the five most important qualities for an effective,
high caliber website.
- A school media website must be visually appealing and have good curb appeal. Photographs of students using the media center are preferred to generic clip art. And a consistent color scheme/theme is favored.
- Ease of navigation and functionality are very important. Pages should load quickly, links should function properly, sections should be written at the appropriate developmental/reading levels, and a means of contacting the webmaster should be provided.
- Information should be well organized, annotated, and presented so patrons can quickly assess needed information.
- The site should be well maintained and new additions to the website should be added regularly and highlighted.
- Special features for school media websites could include: student work, media center policies, pathfinders, project pages, calendar of events with links to special events, and sections on topics such as fair use, compiling a bibliography, and copyright.
Annette Lamb's evaluation criteria and Minkel's idea were used to evaluate the Casis Website.
- Annette Lamb's complete list of evaluation criteria may be found at Website Evaluation Criteria.
- The Walter Minkel's articles pertaining to website evaluation include:
- Minkel, Walter. "A Picture Is Worth..." School Library Journal. Feb. 2001.
- _____ "Remaking Your Website in Seven Easy Steps." School Library Journal. May 1, 2002.
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