Library News, by David W. Keeber
Red Rock News
Date: August 10, 2007
Well, it was a challenging week, but we not only got through it, we moved this ship of state forward. Last Tuesday, July 31st, we rolled out the Sedona Public Library’s new website after working on it for the better part of a year. Then, the very next day, the Yavapai Library Network went offline for three days, leaving access to many of the site’s pages inaccessible. Things are back up and running on both fronts and so you can see and use the new website and its many features.
In spite of the fact that the Library has had a website for six or seven years already, we have not invested the time and capital in keeping it up to date. All that is different now and the new site should provide you with good, timely information. Visit the site at http://www.sedonalibrary.org/ to see for yourself.
The very first thing you will notice is the new look. Whether it is the great images of our gorgeous environment, or the change in the layout of the pages, the information we provide is much easier to find, to say nothing of better looking!. Having gone through the entire web, we have updated the information on the pages, as well as plan on keeping the data current and fresh.
On the left hand side, you will see a series of “quick links” that take you to entire sections, such as Kids and Teen pages (the Teen pages are still under construction), pages “En Espanol,” and more. Click on these to explore.
At the top left corner of the page, you can quickly search the Yavapai Library Network catalog just as you would from within the Library. As always, you can place a hold on a title, or even use the quick links section to “Suggest a Title” that you would like us to get. The “Find Books and More” tab at the top will take you to the Interlibrary Loan section for those really esoteric titles you just have to have.
Speaking of the tabs at the top of the page, look through these to explore the breadth and depth of the site. You’ll find information on accessing the catalog, finding articles via the databases we provide, lots of stuff on the Library such as our hours and holidays, the policies behind our services, the history of the Library, information on the Village Service Center, and even this column provided weekly.
Considering holding a meeting here at the Library or interested in attending one? You can click on the link to Meeting Rooms below the Services tab or access the events calendar by clicking the quick link to Library Events. There is even an entire tab, Events, that takes you to that same calendar.
The tab titled Community delivers to you links for various services and organizations throughout the community. We would be interested in seeing more organizations listed there, so use the Contact Us links, found in the quick links, the About the Library tab or at the bottom of almost any page on the website.
The Kids pages offer loads of good stuff for school aged children, including access to the calendar for children’s programs, cool sites for kid fun, homework help sites and even sites for pre-schoolers. Our Teen section is still under construction, but coming soon. It promises to offer lots of interesting homework links, access to features most of us won’t use but are good safe sites, and, as we continue to grow the site, maybe even interactive locations for teens to spend time online with one another.
One of the most interesting features is the links to online book clubs and newsletters. By subscribing to these, you can receive in your daily email a five minute read per day form the first chapter of a new title. If you find the story of interest, you can click on the link and order the title easily. There are newsletters, too, that can keep you informed of the newest titles we are offering in a number of genres. These too offer a quick click to place a hold. Subscribe to more than one, if you want!
Lastly, and most importantly, there is a link on the home page among the rotating images to provide your feedback about the site. Good, bad or indifferent, we want to hear from you to know if we have gotten it right or how we can improve the site to meet your needs. Please take a moment to fill in the form on the Contact Us page. We look forward to hearing from you.
We have spent many months doing careful research into users and in designing the site to be colorful, interesting and more importantly, useful. Most of all, we have committed ourselves to making the Sedona Public Library website interactive and dynamic, That means up to date information that serves the user’s needs. We look forward to your comments!
