Library Embarrassment
Friday, March 30, 2007 at 
6:18 pm ()
I just ranged on my local library. The site is http://www.publiclibrary.org and it is a disgrace! Here’s the email I sent them:
I have lived Hopkins County for all of my life, and I must say that I am highly disappointed by your website. You have a domain name that could get you so much traffic. I imagine other libraries would kill to have the domain publiclibrary.org And yet, you do virtually nothing with this website. Much of the content hasn’t been updated in forever even though people have submitted link changes (AR list link changes, for example). It’s highly unattractive. The navigation is in no logical order and is confusing. It’s hard to find the information you’re looking for. It comes across as very unprofessional and unorganized. The flashing graphics included on several pages are un-necessary and slow down connection speeds for patrons using dial-up internet. You shouldn’t include the date the page was updated unless you plan on updating it frequently. I found several pages that were last updated in 2004. The preschool page is a rainbow mess. This is all very distracting to a patron.
I believe you need to find a professional web designer to design your website. It needs a major overhaul. It makes me sad to see my local library make itself look so amateur. I would like to see the website look more updated and professional. I suspect that visually imparied patrons could probably not utilize this website at all because I am guessing this website does not meet accessability standards. I tested the site with the W3C Markup Validation (http://validator.w3.org/) service and found it to have 579 errors. I also tested it with Bobby/WebXact (http://webxact.watchfire.com/) and it does not comply with all of the automatic and manual checkpoints of the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
By the way, I tried to type in my web address in your contact form, and it doesn’t even give you enough room to do that….
I’ve tried to get them to change typos and mistakes on their site several times. I also sent them the new link for the Accelerated Reader lists like 2 months ago or something (?) It’s just so sad that their site is so bad. I wish someone would email me back, but I expect they won’t. I don’t think they even check their email….
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Filed in: Opinions, Random, Rants, Websites ()
17 Comments so far
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Amanda scribbled this note on March 30th, 2007: 
[ Quote ]
I worked as a web assistant for a non-profit organization. I agree with a lot of what you had to say in your letter. Looking at this from the perspective of from my job duties, I think that the email you sent gets sent to everyone on the web team, be that one person or fifty. A lot of times they don’t have the time to update things, or in the case of me, we do what the boss tells us. If the boss tells us to do this, but the viewers say differently, guess who wins…
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Print it out and either snail mail it or deliver it in person!
i’m sure they will get it that way!that is an awesome domain name
i hate people who have awesome domain names and hardly ever do anything with them. >. -
is it just me or did you change the layout a little? o.O i don’t think i’m imagining things…
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Ugh! >hideous, lol and Jenn said it…that is a great domain name. They really need to upgrade that style. I wonder who did it…omg, it pains me…
:mrgreen: -
It is a great domain name and hundreds would kill for it. I think your email was very constructive and they should at least give you the decency to reply. maybe go into the actual library and tell them.
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That is one of the worst sites I’ve ever seen. I always thought our library’s site was unattractive http://www.lexpublib.org/ but at least it’s well organized I suppose…
Yeah, like Jenn said, I’d snail mail them or go and visit on a day when someone of authority happens to be there.
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I agree with Jenn — print it out and take it to the head librarian.
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That’s really suprising. I just checked my public library site and it’s also quite ugly. You would figure whoever made their site could just pop out a design asthetics book from the reference section. Snail mail would probably work better because if they don’t update the site, they probably don’t check their email either. Good Luck! I hope you eventually get ahold of them.
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You know, printing it out and snail mailing it to them is a great idea! (And actually put it into paragraphs and such. It could be a little more organized.) I copied exaclty what I typed into the comment box, so there was no room for fancy things like paragraphs. Go figure. Anyway, I was pretty burnt up when I typed it.
I know at libraries there are more pressing things to do rather than work on their website, but with technology the way it is today, you’d think they’d at least try to keep on the up-and-up.
My husband (who went to library school himself) says we should re-do the website ourselves and email it to them. *giggles!*
Arien, at least on the Lexington Public Library site you can check your account and stuff. We don’t have that because we’re such a small “city” compared to Lexington. Although, there is a sign in town that claims we are the “Best town on Earth.”
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You would think that if they didn’t have time to work on the website that they would either (a) not have a website, (b) find someone else (volunteer?) to work on it, or (c) hire someone to do it for them.
If I were them I would hire a web designer to do a complete and total overhaul of the site (would cost money but would be worth it) and make it so that it’s easy for someone who doesn’t have a lot of time (IE the people who “work” on the site now) to update.
Another idea: They could have a contest for people to create web designs for the site. (free) and just have some sort of prize available to the winner.. like a gift certificate to a local restaurant/store. If other citizens of the town/area are on the same page as the rest of us about how much that site sucks right now I’m sure the certificate could probably just be donated to the cause (costing the library nothing!), this option would be more time consuming but would be more of a community effort.
@amanda: somehow I really doubt that they have anything that resembles a ‘web team’ available to work on that site. o_O if you look on the front page it says “Last Updated 06-28-2006″, does that tell you anything?? lol
@ashley: maybe we should ‘re-do’ the site in a couple of different ways for them just so they can see why the one they have now is so horrible!!
wow that was a lot of idea making / venting. i’m done now. lol. -
I went there when your sis posted it in the BBS. I cannot go back. I need my eye site.
Re-do it yourselves & you might just get a job.
Wouldn’t hurt your resume any.I also smell pants…
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I e-mailed our local bus station about the same thing. There site is just atrocious. I never heard back from them though :(. Hopefully you will though! Thats such a great domain name to have, you’d think they would make it look nice.
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Hey Jenn, they’re having a content to re-design the Teen section of the website. But seriously, the whole thing needs to be re-done. When I have some time at work where I am bored, maybe I’ll whip out a little something something to send them.
And Jessica, it’s sooooo pants.
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“Best Town on Earth”? Yeah right!
Well, then wouldn’t you think the best town on earth would have somewhat good websites? Just a thought… -
THE TEEN SECTION?!? IS THE ENTIRE SITE THE *TEEN* SECTION?!? :p
well let’s look at the bright side, at least they realize that *something* needs to be done. lol.
on a side note: i can see why they chose the teen section.. *squinting at it* it suuuure is bright!
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Oh Ashley I found this while browsing dear Medox’s comic site http://www.kawaiinot.com/?p=65
I think you might like it.
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Jessica!! That is too cute! *squeals!* Thanks for sharing that link!
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