Brooklyn Public Library

www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org

Intended audience: People in Brooklyn who are interested in using library services.

Usefulness of content: The content is extremely useful for anyone who’s part of the intended audience. On this site, anyone can find the library’s catalog, their hours and locations, information on the programs the library offers, and book recommendations, among other things. Cardholders have access to the library’s electronic resources as well. The librarians have also created a list of 137 topics (under the “Explore a Topic” button on the left) for which they have provided a substantial list of Internet links, e-resources, and print resources. These topics include travel, health, Brooklyn, sustainable living, citizenship, etc.

Consistency of design: The top and left panels of the page remain consistent no matter what page you navigate to. The only things that changes are that the Brooklyn Public Library box changes colors to match the tab that you’ve clicked on and the photo at the top changes to more accurately reflect the content of the page. These are consistent changes, though, and it works for the site.

Ease of navigation: I think this site is extremely easy to navigate. The links on the left side will direct people to pretty much anything they need, and those are on every page of the site, so it’s easy for a viewer to navigate from one subsection to another. I also think the “How do I” bar at the top is a great idea. The links provided from that bar are extremely useful and informative, and since it’s right at the top of every page, it’s easy for anyone to find.