During this time, it is more important than ever to let your patrons/students know that you have resources available to them online.
This list is to help you evaluate and maximize your website to let your community know you have these important online resources.
Highlight your online resources on your Home page
How many clicks do your patrons/students have before they reach the resource?
Patrons/students should be able to access the resource from your home page within 1-2 clicks.
Home -> Resource
Home -> Category/Topic/Audience -> Resource
Is it easy to see that you have resources from your home page?
Your patrons/students should see that you have resources available to them immediately when they reach your website. Highlight them in things like a rotating banner.
Do you have a book river in your catalog?
Change the book river to display digital titles instead of the physical ones.
If you are an AspenCat library contact Bob and Lauren to change this.
Organize your resources by topic/category/audience
Do you have a long alphabetical list of resources?
Patrons/students are not going to read though a long list to “see” what you have. If you organize by topic/category they are much more likely to keep looking. Separate out to topics such as: Do It Yourself, Genealogy, History, Current Issues, Health and Medicine.
Do you have different ages mixed together?
If you separate out resources by kids, teens, and adults, patrons will explore further.
Note here: it is ok to repeat resources in multiple topics/categories/audiences.
Name them something that is identifiable to patrons/students
Do you call your resources “databases”?
The first thing most people think of when they hear the word “Database” is a boring long list of information. Name them something like “Online Library” or “Online Resources,” “Research and Online Learning”.
Do you call the resource what the Vendor calls it?
Sometimes vendors don’t always name their products as something recognizable. For example, MAS Ultra means nothing to a patron/student. Explora High School makes more sense.
Include descriptions of the resource
You have now highlighted the resource, organized it, and named it. You have their attention. Don’t lose them now. Tell them what that resource is going to do for them.
OK, so Explora High School makes more sense than Mas Ultra; but ultimately, what is Explora High School? Don’t make them guess.