Evaluating website suitability
One important point to remember is that younger clients are likely to require website presentation which differs from adult clients. They will respond to websites which have:
- brighter and livelier graphics
- higher levels of interactivity
- information in bite-sized chunks.
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Compare three of the websites below and make notes against the evaluation criteria in the table below. If you have a children's reading section on your own library website you might want to use it as website 3 in this activity. Channel 4's Book Box at www.channel4.com/learning/microsites/B/bookbox The Guardian at http://books.guardian.co.uk (and go to Children's' Library) Bowkers' Children's Books in Print at www.childrensbooksinprint.com/bip The Magic Pencil at http://magicpencil.britishcouncil.org |
In addition, greater care should be given to the appropriateness of the content, in relation to reading level and ability of the younger client.
And, of course, as with any Internet use by young people, you must exercise especial care to ensure that younger clients do not access sites with content which parents or carers might find objectionable.
You might find this Proforma for comparing websites useful.
