Readings- 10/27/09

HTML Tutorial-

This was basically a beginners guide to how to use HTML. It took one through everything step by step with clearly laid out examples. While it was lovely to see and easy to go through, I still find myself completely terrified of HTML. No matter how simple it seems, I feel that it cannot be as easy as it looks.

HTML Cheatsheet-

This article I liked a whole lot more than the first one. It was just a basic run through of what each code does, separated by function. It was helpful and made me feel better about my knowledge of HTML. After reading this piece, I felt much better about going back to the first article and reading through it once again. Having this cheatsheet on hand helped me understand what the first article was talking about more clearly.

CSS-

Cascading Style Sheets is the next step up from basic HTML, helping to define the HTML elements and making websites look better. This article was just like the first HTML one, giving examples and allowing you to play around with the code so you really understood what was going on. It was more visually focused, adding onto your knowledge of HTML. I never thought I would be using HTML or CSS as a librarian, but I can see where they would be a valuable asset. With more people attracted to the more visually impressive websites, it is up to us as information professionals to attract patrons to us. In a world where technology is at the forefront of everything, us possessing even the most basic knowledge is no longer an option, it is a necessity.

Beyond HTML-

This article was about a library switching over to a CMS system to allow them to manage every bit of their websites. There was a lot of collaboration between all of the specialized librarians and the web developers to make sure that the system created worked for everyone and made sense. The article mentions their forays into developing the site, looking at the option of open source before sticking with improving upon their own in house system. The article reiterates how it is important that a library website be functional and easy to navigate. A lot of time was spent making sure that it worked for all facets of the university.