Of the library websites I looked at, the ones that caught and held my attention were the sites that were simple with color schemes and had links listed along the left side or the top of the page. The design features definitely had parallels to our textbook and the idea that less is more. I also really like the Bitmoji digital library scenes and have had fun playing around with my own.

The three library websites I like the best were simple, easy to understand, uncluttered, and made me want to check out their resources.

Exeter Junior High: I really like the simple color scheme: two shades of blue with links in black that she also connects with her virtual library scene. She has great topics, many you would expect to see like digital learning, card catalog, and ebooks; but she also has unique things under the heading digital literacy like copyright and fair use, info and links on how to identify fake news, and links to several fact checking websites as well.

MMHS’s librarian works with grades 7-12, so she has a lot of info for a wide range of ages. She uses simple colors and I like the links at the top of the page. I am finding the links within the digital library scenes to be a bit more confusing as to what you are linking to prior to actually clicking on it (not just on this website, but in general). She has a unique page titled Libraries to Last a Lifetime…Beyond MMHS which is a blog about ways to utilize libraries after graduation and into adulthood…what a great idea! There is also a section titled Armchair Adventures that links to virtual field trips. She is definitely promoting life long learning!

I wanted to choose one non-school library website to explore and I went with Redwood City Public Library and again I was drawn to the colors, on this site blue and orange. I like how the text is black, but the links are orange, so they are very clear on where to access what info. The main page is focused on library services during COVID. Again, out of necessity, there is a lot more information available on this site, simply because they offer different services to so many. One cool page is called Get it online which offers access to books, newspapers, online learning, and jobs/careers, to name a few.

This is my first time creating a website and I have only just started with my Bitmoji digital library scene. One thing that I like about both of the school websites is that it is obvious the librarian plays a huge and important role in these schools. I feel as if I will be generally modeling my website with Exeter Junior High’s layout in mind. I think I will take something from each website I visited. Keeping distance learning in the forefront of my mind, this is where I am at with my website brainstorming!