[WEB4LIB] Communication between Librarian & Webmaster

[Janet Evans]

Hi, everybody,
I am a librarian who has recently joined this list and I am impressed by
the number of librarians who are also doing double duty as webmasters or
developers -- but I have to tell you that it doesn't always work out
that way, especially in small libraries like ours.  Our website
(http://www.libertynet.org/phs/phslibrary.html) was a collaborative work
between library staff and a  web developer. (http://www.mcha.com/)

We found that the best collaboration was:
        -- the librarian is the project manager. Your job is to push the
project along; you set the standards for what's acceptable and what
isn't

        -- the librarian needs to be very clear about what she or he 
wants.  

        -- the webmaster or developer needs to have the skills to put
your
vision in place.

        -- there should be alot of back and forth on creating the site
-- lot's
of discussion, lots of input -- you need to test and retest the website,
and to show it to people who haven't been involved in its creation.   

        -- and yes, you need to learn "the lingo" and how web pages come
together and how they are described (catalogers can really make a
contribution in this area) and also how they are retrieved. You also
need to be completely comfortable in a web environment,  (i.e.,
searching for information, exercising critical content analysis, etc.
etc.) Web developers have a great deal of expertise on a micro level --
but it's the librarians who truly "get it" in terms of understanding how
web content fits into the big information picture.


A. Helfman wrote:
> 
>         I've been asked to give a presentation at a local library conference in


-- 
Janet Evans
Librarian
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
100 N. 20th Street
Philadelphia, PA  19103-1495
U.S.A.
PH: 215-988-8779; FX: 215-988-8783 E-MAIL: jevans at pennhort.org
 Visit the McLean Library of PHS at
http://www.libertynet.org/phs/phslibrary.html