Send comments to Janette Fluharty, website developer and IUPUI MLS student. Page created in 9/04.| Home | Evaluation Criteria | Initial Impact | Technical Assessment | Content Assessment |
The entry pages and all secondary pages on this website load quickly with no need for special plug-ins or software, although there is a note that the site is best viewed using Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher. All information can be viewed with minimal scrolling and the site is user-friendly and easy to navigate. A thorough investigation of all the links and pages of the website found them to be functioning properly. All navigational buttons and links functioned correctly.
The "Start your Research" section and link to "Find it @your library" are prominently displayed in the middle of the home page. After clicking the link, students are taken to the research page where the links are displayed in a user-friendly manner. Links are clearly labeled and appropriate for elementary students. Students are given the choice to use the web, encyclopedias, the Casis on-line catalog, maps, etc. for their projects.
Graphics were used as enhancements, not distractions, and were well placed and appropriate to their location. Photographs of Casis Elementary students were used frequently. Most but not all graphics displayed alternate text. Miss Campbell used tables to create the framework for each page. Visit the home page and note the librarians use of simple graphics and a photograph of students. Click home to visit the home page.
Mail links are provided on the homepage and on every page on the site. A quick message to the librarian to compliment her on her website demonstrated the links function as intended. The link is at the bottom left hand side of the page. Take a look at the mail link by clicking here.
Effective, age appropriate navigation is utilized throughout the site. A link to the Casis Library home page is displayed in the upper left-hand corner of each page.
Secondary pages have a navigational bar running across the top of the table which provides ease of navigation between primary and secondary levels of the site. Click September to visit the September events page to see an example of the navigation bar.
As most pages can be viewed with little scrolling, the "return to the top" feature is not used on each page. On page where a large amount of information is displayed the librarian uses a "return to the top" link. An example would be the page on how to write a bibliography. This page is lengthy and divided into sections, so "return to the top" links are provided at appropriate intervals. Click the word bibliography to view the page.
When checked by the Bobby Validation site, the site passed except for a lack of alternate text for all images. All other items were judgement calls. The clean design of the site would be very appropriate for students with attention deficit problems or visual impairment.
Maintenance of the site is superb. While viewing the site and writing this evaluation, the librarian was updating and removing information about an event from last week. The home page shows the site was last updated on September 26, 2004, many secondary pages have been updated within the month and, of the pages sampled, all had been updated within the past year. The creation date for the site was not apparent.
The home page displays a section promoting monthly events and links to seasonal resources.
Another example of how well maintained the site is can be found in the Casis Kids' Library Programs and Activities section. Displayed on the home page, all the links for the children's programs were up to date and current. Click the words Book Club to see information and photographs about a club event held on the 16th of September.
The entry page for the site is simplistic and clean. The graphics and photograph of students are appropriate and attractive without being distracting. Students and parents would enjoy finding themselves within the pages of this site.
The pages have a standard look and feel to them. A standard template is used with borders of different colors for the various secondary pages. This would make the site easy for elementary students to use because the link to the library home page and the navigational bar can always be found in the same place. Visit the teacher page by clicking teacher and the librarians' page by clicking librarian. Notice how the librarian used different border colors but the same layout for these pages.
The layout and design of the pages is clean and uncluttered. Colors, font size, font type, etc. are all used appropriately. Visit the Kids' Website Page to see how the librarian used colors, tables, and fonts to convey information to students. Click the word kids to visit the page.
Suggestions:
Return to the top.
Send comments to Janette Fluharty, website developer and IUPUI MLS student. Page created in 9/04.
