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[Sara Weissman/Morris Cty Library]

Lynne Olver and I rigorously write our sites for Lynx, because that
is the browser installed on the county system here (but I also sat
up far too late last night beveling the library door graphic with
Blade...because it is fun!) We also, though, hear the siren call
of graphical layouts and struggle to keep to a midpoint..I think
librarians, who are in the main linear, textual people, over
estimate how much people will read and designers, who may be largely
visual types, over estimate people's ability to identify symbols,
buttons, etc. A friend once asked me if I clicked on the flying
pizza on his web site (he is an artist) ..why would I? I asked?
it wasn't labeled?! I'm over 40: I despair of web sites that
look (to me) like Wired or MTV ..and my son, who designs, tells
me my work doesn't "look webby enough" [heaven help me, I know
exactly what he means.] Olver/Weissman current "compromise" ..
text by all means, but don't expect them to stay if there isn't
at least a link or two in first screen. People seem to web
for "Gee?! what can I find out (ie, link to!) here" ..no link?
[no choice? no fun?] ..they are gone! And if the page is an
actual, honest to goodness document, report, the thing-they-
have-been-looking-for? they will probably print it out and
read offline..no doodads required for that page! To say universally
that pwople skip text pages assumes rather a lot about the
attention spans and perceptual mechanisms of millions of people, yes?