flash image on our home page

[Barbara R. Paciotti]

I've enjoyed following this thread since the question was first posted
and I  hope a simple middle school librarian can offer comment without
being savagely disparaged.

I have at least a dozen books on my shelf about web design and they all
say the most important thing is KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER. This applies even if
we are a library "selling" information. We want to make our site so
user-friendly that the customer can't stay away.

If projected customers are likely to have good Flash capability and it
will significantly enhance their visit, use it. It's a powerful tool for
visual display of physical products and artistry, and for interactive
learning.

If the projected customers are not likely to have high-tech capability,
and if Flash doesn't fill a critical content need, don't use it (or use
it very sparingly). While it may be an eye-opener on the user's first
visit, it can be a real annoyance the 10th or 100th time if it serves no
fundamental purpose other than decoration.

The books that most helped me to understand simplicity of information
display are those by Edward R. Tufte. In his Introduction to "Visual
Explanations" he states, "The idea is to make designs that enhance the
richness, complexity, resolution, dimensionality, and clarity of the
content." He says our purpose in visual display should be to "extend the
depth of our knowledge and experience"--surely the goal of all library
webpages. His analysis of the Challenger disaster in that book is a
drastic example of the importance of providing information in the proper
way. I heartily recommend all 3 of his books just for the sheer joy of
reading them!

I train the school/department webmasters in my district, and I stress
that the purpose of our webpages is to fill the need of users, not to
display the talent of the webmaster. Use the wild ideas on a personal
website.

(BTW, I liked the Flash image on the site)

Barbara Paciotti