[WEB4LIB] RE: Summary: Library Websites that Use Icons

[Alain D. M. G. Vaillancourt]

Hello!

You are right for the majority of patrons, since they are usually not
daily users of the library catalog.  Icons without any text would be
very bad for them.  On the other hand, icons with a little text
underneath would not be a hindrance.

Patrons using the catalog daily, as frequently as they use word
processing software, would eventually pick up on the meaning of icons
if, you would also assign some small discrete text to the icons, to
discover what the icons mean. Eventually, their brains would bypass the
text (which takes longer to process than the image) and they would be
much faster in getting to a function.  They would also enjoy a feeling
of satisfaction from the visual familiarity of the command set.

There is a price to pay in the sense that you really have to work on
getting rather large icons in there with relativey small text.  This is
solid design work, and you have to ask yourself if it is worth it. 
Precisely, are those daily "intensive use" patrons that important to
you.

Alain V.

 --- "Drew, Bill" <drewwe at MORRISVILLE.EDU> a écrit : 
> I really question the use of icons since there is no agreed upon
> standard for what represents a catalog or what represents a subject
> guide.  There is no standard set.  I have yet to see a really good
> set
> of icons that helps navigation better than clear simple text.
> Convince
> me I'm wrong.
> 
> Bill Drew
> drewwe at morrisville.edu 
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: web4lib at webjunction.org 
> > [mailto:web4lib at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Chris Jorgensen
> > Sent: Tuesday, December 14, 2004 3:49 PM
> > To: Multiple recipients of list
> > Subject: [WEB4LIB] Summary: Library Websites that Use Icons
> > 
> > Dear Colleagues,
> > 
> > At least one person expressed some interest in finding out 
> > the results of my
> > request for examples of library websites that use icons. I 
> > have made a list
> 
> 
>  

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