By Peter Milbury, Librarian/Library Webmaster
Chico High School, Chico, California

Like most librarians, I very much enjoy gathering information resources for student and staff use. In recent years the Internet and World Wide Web have been particularly exciting to work with. This is due to their freewheeling, share and share alike nature, where one can browse and link to an ever growing world of information resources.

Once connected to The Net, there are no purchase orders to type, no budgets to worry about, and a lot of fun in the process of making these resources available to your school! It is a simple matter to create a set of bookmarks, which can be used for building one's own Web Page, providing well organized pathways to information resources, applicable to your school's distinctive information needs.

Although I have been exploring, evaluating, and bookmarking resources since the fall of 1990, it was not until two years ago that I was able to create my own personal Home Page on the World Wide Web, using our school district network. A little over a year ago, once our school connected the new library server to the Internet via an ISDN line, I was able to create a Home Page for our school. I also created a Library Helpful Bookmarks Page, organizing a "virtual library" of Internet information pathways to Internet information resources for students and staff.

While the creation of these Web Pages was at first a daunting task to consider (especially dealing with new HTML and Unix software "languages"), I found that it greatly simplified matters to copy and adapt the structure of various existing pages that I admired. In other words, as I began planning the Home Page for my school and library, I was able to borrow useful sections from the pages that I encountered, taking advantage of many effective, successfully designed Web Pages. Since there were very few K-12 schools on the Web at that time, I borrowed from wherever I found an interesting page design!

Through the use of the View "Document Source" option in the pull-down Web browser menu bar (i.e., Mosaic, Netscape Navigator, or Microsoft Explorer,) I was able to see the coded structure and layout of those successfully designed Web Pages. Using the "select & copy" features, I picked parts from those pages that suited my particular needs. These I saved in a word processing document, which became translated into my own pages.

Using that "borrowed" set of page layouts and code segments, I was able to make a few changes (i.e., substitute our header for theirs, and my sequencing, images and organized list of links for theirs.) This customized the layout to support our own program. And shazzam-- my school and library had their own Home Pages!

As I encountered new ideas it was fairly easy to drop new document code into my pages and make the necessary changes. This is a commonly accepted and widely used practice for Web Page design. (Needless to say, I did not borrow from any pages that were copyright protected!)

One of the most pleasurable Web Pages that I have created is a collection of links to approximately 200 School Library and School Librarian Web Pages. This growing collection, links to Web Pages created or maintained by K-12 school library professionals. It includes school pages, library pages, plus professional association, personal and eclectic pages.

I developed this page as a labor of love, for school librarians to use as examples, models and as inspiration as they move their schools and libraries onto the Web. I also did it to show off to the world the wonderful contributions school librarians are making to their schools, through their interfaces and organization of the Internet. We can be proud to be part of a group that is among the most active users of the Internet and World Wide Web-- whose pages provide an effective means of making sense of the chaotic structure of Internet information resources.

Here are some of those pages which you may find helpful as you design and update your own School Library Web Page. Although many school librarians are the maintainers of the school Web Page, for this article I have selected those that have strong presentations of the library-to-Internet interface. The name of the school librarian and school address follows a brief description of each site.

Nueva Center for Learning Library.
A very curriculum-centered elementary school library page. Lots of links to goals, resources, and program related information. Maintained by Debbie Abilock, Librarian.

Sun Valley Elementary Library.
No outside links, but effective due to program description, etc! Great way to anchor the page, with Achievement=Libraries quote. Michelle Larose-Kuzenko, Teacher-Librarian, Sun Valley Elementary School, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Edgeworth Elementary Library.
Strong library-classroom connection. Impressive projects section! Stresses human services, shows a lot is happening in the library, and links to go with it. Mim Bizic, Librarian, Edgeworth Elementary School, Sewickley, Pennsylvania.

Stetson Middle School Library.
Great collection of links, displayed for impact and use. Separate areas for teachers and students. Valuable resource for other librarians-- goes far beyond the age group. Linda Bertland, Librarian, Stetson Middle School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Mt. Laurel Hartford School Library.
Library Without Walls. Impressive use of full-screen buttons for Dewey layout! Includes an excellent display that explains the Dewey System. Shayne Russell, Educational Media Specialist, Mt. Laurel Hartford School, Mt. Laurel, New Jersey.

Millard Central Middle School.
Nice use of framing and graphics for information gateway. Clean, easy to use, and nicely organized, with a clear curriculum connection and thematic organization. Virginia Minear, Library Media Specialist, Millard Central Middle School, Omaha, Nebraska.

Shuksan Middle School.
School Home Page. Clean, economical design with nice use of graphics. Easy to use and appropriate for grade level. Links organized by subject area. Timina Eggert, Library Media Specialist, Shuksan Middle School, Bellingham Washington.

Bothell High School Library Media Center.
Very well-organized, easy to use as a jumping off page to the Internet. Nice way of defining subject areas, giving examples of what is in each sub-section. Kathy Haugen, Librarian Media Specialist, Bothell High School, Bothell, Washington.

Hopkinton High School Library.
Very simple and elegant layout, with spare use of graphics. Loads quickly. Attractive, with many key resources are acessible from the main screen. Shelley Lochhead, Librarian, Hopkinton High School, Contoocook, New Hampshire.

Walton Library at Methodist Ladies' College.
Very striking and effective presentation, composed of classic rubric letters spelling out the name "Walton Library". Each letter links to an information resource type. Janet Smith, Technology Librarian, Methodist Ladies' College, Melbourne, Australia.

Edinburg High School.
Nice example of a school page leading to information links, presented by the two school librarians. Emphasizes student projects and other work, plus links to the community. Maria Elena Ovalle and Noe Torres, Librarians, Edinburg H.S., Edinburg, Texas.

Chico High School Library.
Finally, I invite you to visit our own Chico High School Library Helpful Bookmarks, designed as a way to quickly put students in touch with information. Emphasis is on subject matter links, with multicultural offerings to help make our diverse population feel at home!
 
 

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Links updated: 3-10-2001.