[Web4lib] Library Web site redesign

[Mark Costa]

My initial impression is that the IT design relies too heavily on table
structure, which is a very poor way to design a site. Tables should only be
used to display tabular data. I ran both sites through the W3C validator,
and neither of them are valid. If possible, I would correct the errors in
yours. An additional bonus of your site is that it follows more current
standards (XHTML vs. HTML). You could also strip the style sheet and show
how your site would meet 508 requirements more easily. This is not my area
of expertise, so I will let others address that.

I like to run my sites through the Websites as Graphs visualizer:
http://www.aharef.info/static/htmlgraph/. It gives a quick visualization of
how the site is designed (red = tables).

I would like to comment that the secondary top navigation bar should be left
justified in order to place the *Contact Us* on the same line. Other than
that, I will let others address the usability concerns.

-mc




On 9/10/06, Diana Myers Hyatt <dmyershyatt at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> I value the expertise and opinions of this group, and
> would like your comments about the redesign I'm
> working on for the Riverside Public Library Web site,
> as well as one done by the city's IT department (the
> library wasn't consulted or notified on this one).
>
> Here's the current site, which is really showing its
> age: http://www.riversideca.gov/library/
>
> Here's my redesign so far:
> http://www.riversideca.gov/library/library4/
> I've incorporated the city's banner design since
> "everything looking the same" seems to be the ultimate
> goal of their redesign.
>
> And here's the one the city wants us to use:
> http://www.riversideca.gov/library3/
>
>
> Since I'm working on this redesign myself and there's
> no one else at our library with a background in web
> design, especially such issues as standards and
> accessibility, I would greatly appreciate the honest
> opinions and suggestions of this group. Take a look at
> the style sheets and source code if you can.
>
> If you wish you can email me at
> dhyatt at riversideca.gov.
>
> Thanks for your two cents in advance,
>
> Diana Myers Hyatt
> Library Associate
> City of Riverside Public Library
>
>
>
>
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-- 
Mark R. Costa, MLS
Librarian
U.S. Army War College
Library, Reference and Information Services
122 Forbes Avenue
Carlisle, Pennsylvania 17013-5220
717.245.4260 / 717.245.3323 (fax)

"What is possible is not independent of what we believe to be possible.  The
possibility of such developments in the practical world depends upon their
being grasped imaginatively by the people who make the practical world work"
-Neil MacCormick