Content Review
Overall Impressions
The impressive and professional design of the MJCPL website contribute to its clear representation of purpose. The text of the navigation and the banner images at the top are clear in showing that "this is a library website" and "this is what we have". The design is clean and facilitates the breadth of content that is available on each page. Also, the banner images change on each section indicating a different "flavor" and function to that particular area. The site accomplishes this without having these banner images detract from the overall look or message of the site.
Here are a few good examples:
It is also evident that the library patrons are the primary target audience for the site. The general information about the library and its events are easy to find and understand. They also narrow the site content down for secondary audiences by offering items such as a Youth Page.
The home page of the site is full of new and updated information including the most recent programs, featured items of interest, and current events for patrons. News items are also prominently listed with updated information.
Overall, the site does an excellent job of aggregating resources of interest to the local community, offering a combination of resources that are not available elsewhere. This library has done an outstanding job in making its website central to its communications and outreach in the community. It serves as a solid example to be followed by other libraries seeking those same goals.
Content Aspects
The top two levels of the site (home page and level 1 navigational pages) have clear affordances in terms of letting users know where to click. There isn't a great deal of text-heavy content until you drill a few levels into the site. A good example of this is the History Page. The history page is very clear in visually communicating to its audience without overloading them with information, links, or other content elements. See below.
Also, upon review of some of the more text-heavy content, the site appears to be well-edited. There are no glaring errors in terms of spelling or grammar. The site has one clear voice. It is not layered with library-specific lexicon or varying view points from conflicting areas or departments. There are only a few content types available, such as browsing images from the Harry Lemen Photo Collection. However, there doesn't seem to be any sort of embedded audio or video content on the site. Most of the content related to that simply refers to what is in the physical collection.
That said, the content is efficient in delivering its message. There are no outstanding issues with how it is organized. The purpose of the site doesn't lend itself to going beyond the needs of its core audience (library patrons). I've found that sites that attempt this often lose focus and end up providing less clear and less concise content. There are some extensive feature articles on items of local interest, which a library serves as a great avenue. The "River to Rail" website is a sub-site of the MJCPL which is a digital history project done in partnership with the local historical society. See the screen shot below.
This site takes a highly targeted and local subject, such as profiling the town of Madison during the "age of steam" and presents it in a very interactive way. This is what makes local library websites great. This type of very specific content is rare on the Internet, and library web sites are the perfect place for them. Libraries already contain the images and resources necessary to create this content, however few leverage those items to create something great such as this.
Content Enhancements
The MJCPL takes advantage of recent developments in web technology such as RSS feeds. The site allows library patrons to download a feed and get information pushed to them from the Library Blog, the Youth Blog, or the Events pages. This is useful for users who have content aggregators that go out and get specified content from particular sites and deliver that to a customized screen that the user creates. These pages are offered from Yahoo!, Netvibes, and Pageflakes just to name a few.
The library also allows patrons to subscribe to an e-mail newsletter, which if the rest of the site is any indication, is something that gets updated and sent fairly frequently. Beyond that, the site offers plenty of other interaction opportunities for users. There is a section to "Ask a Librarian" a question, which is handy of someone is conducting any sort of research online that may require the assistance of a professional. Furthermore, there are invitations to library patrons to take part in groups and programs that the library offers.
Overall, the site is used as an excellent promotional tool for the library. It puts forth a very positive image of the library. There are materials for everything that the library does from soliciting volunteers to story time for toddlers. All of this content is presented in a way that is easy to use and navigate for anyone who visits. It was difficult to move through the site and be genuinely confused about where I was or what I was looking at. These are all hallmarks of excellent web content and a great effort on the part of the developers of this site.
