IASL+Website+Improvement


 * This page offers suggestions to improve the content, look, and navigation of the current IASL website.**

We need to review all the pages, and then OK with a new update date.


 * Home page**: I'm not sure about the RIGHT hand side of the home page. It's confusing with the features AND the mid-section. Perhaps that should be rethought.


 * About: Activities**: cluster the activities (e.g., awards together). KMM: Is this page even needed? There are already tabs for Awards, Events, etc.


 * About: Activities**: Move the policy statement on school libraries to the section on school libraries KMM: There is a separate tab on left of About for Policy Statement; link back to it from Advocacy:Resources section.


 * Advocacy: Resources** -- this info is useful but feels a bit scattered. I'm wondering if there's another way to do this. This would be a good place (better than the School Libraries page) for listing policy statements. KMM: yes, giving folks tools that they can use in their advocacy efforts should include exemplar/model policy statements (Freedom to read, etc) and this page is ideal place to collect those links.


 * News:** That's where we can put a blog -- unless we want to make the whole website more blog like. KMM: Okay to put a link to the blog on the News page, but News page should mainly have 'headline' items which should change at least every 2-4 weeks (old news isn't news anymore)


 * Publications:** I'd like us to publicize our IASL/IFLA book here. Should we note publications by our members? Where might that be a good place to do that? KMM: This section should focus first on IASL-produced publications (including IASL/IFLA book) and also have link to a separate page of members' articles and publications. Seeing the varied topics and venues of these member-written items should enhance IASL's overall contributions to the field of school librarianship, as well as subtly highlighting the wide range of practicing school librarians and school librarianship professors who are IASL members.

If the items are IASL "products," then they should be in the publications area. The School Libraries in Action Series seems sort of vague; it isn't really explained well. If this is the page for librarians to share their own publications, then it should be stated that way - and a better means to do that should be considered, such as a repository style (e.g., IFLA/UNESCO's info lit site). It's also a bit confusing with the navigation bar items and the main page.
 * School libraries:** This is another kind of "messy" page. KMM: the name of the 'tab' doesn't tell users what it really is.

At the least, all the GiggleIT info should be in ONE button. I like the fact that it has free and member-only areas; It needs to be marketed differently or more effectively. KMM: Fitting GiggleIT into the existing structure of the website in Jan 2009 meant that resources were put into the SL in Action section, but that heading doesn't make much sense to TLs/teachers using GiggleIT. Since all GiggleIT resources are free, they should all be part of GiggleIT pages - but WITH a note at bottom of GiggleIT resource page that mentions 'members-only' resource titles and topics with link to the 'how to join IASL' or membership page. In other words, use the right places in GiggleIT to promote IASL membership.

This site seems to overlap Advocacy page, so maybe we can sort that out better. Maybe we need a better title for this page, such as "Best Practices".


 * Join IASL:** While I like that heading, perhaps it should be renamed membership, and this is where the org. members could be listed, as well as include a membership directory.

Big picture: we should make sure we like the main heading and their order too....