As I was looking through various school websites to locate databases they may offer, I found it incredibly difficult to navigate quite a few. It was much easier to find database information for high schools and upper grades, while finding this information for elementary schools was the most difficult. In a lot of instances, I could not locate even a page or tab for the library for many elementary schools. This is part of the reason why my table includes more high schools than elementary schools.

For the most part, the schools I explored used icons for the databases or a combination of icons and hyperlinks. Lee Summit High School had the most well organized database list. Their research page organized all databases by icon into different categories, such as: “general databases”, “career/test prep”, “social studies”, “education”, and more. Their site did not, however, provide further description of the database content beyond categorizing them for students/teachers. Similarly was Liberty High School, whose site also organized research tools, databases, and websites for students into different categories, such as: “helpful tools”, “databases”, and “audio, video, and image sources”. Concordia Elementary School only has a general library page and lists a combination of text hyperlinks (generally states content, like “K-8 collection” and “Middle-School Nonfiction”) and icons for various databases, only indicating two requiring credentials to access with a note underneath the icons. A few of the schools I explored had their databases simply grouped in a category usually called “Databases” with their icons set up to link students to each respective site, but no description beyond that they are databases was provided. Some examples of a general database grouping are from Winnetonka High School and Lewis and Clark Elementary. Not providing more specific information about what types of information and topics could be accessed through certain databases is not all that user-friendly and creates more barriers for an already daunting process for many students.

Most school library sites provide either a general note, like Ray-Pec High School, that students need their library card number to access Mid-Continent or Cass County Public Library sites and databases available through them. Florida State University Schools in Tallahassee, Fl provides access to GALE databases on their library website along with a brief description of the contents of each database. They also provide the password for students to access the databases from home right at the top of their research tools page. Compton-Drew ILC Middle School provided the username and password information for MoreNet and MackinVIA only for students to access. Of all the schools library websites I explored, when it came to providing information on how to access databases and websites, Liberty High School and Lee Summit High School had the easiest to find and contained to one space information.

My least favorite and least accessible library website I explored for this assignment was Truman High School. It is visually unappealing and the table organization is messy. There is a lot of blank space within the tables and overall, it is just bland.

One school library that does a fantastic job of providing an easy to access and use library website is English Landing Elementary in Park Hill School District. The website provides a list of research websites with a description of the content and tools that can be found on each website. A few of the sites included are EBSCOhost and Mid-Continent Public Library with the description simply stating they are databases, but the description of EBSCOhost, for example, provides specific collections to explore that are appropriate for elementary age.

When it comes to research, access, and ease of navigation for staff and students, I think if Lee Summit High School and English Landing Elementary did a mash-up, this would be the ultimate site for database and resource access for researching. English Landing’s library site is only one page, so to contain all the library information, such as research, book access, and more, the page is pretty long and utilizes collapsible menus to help condense the information. Lee Summit High School’s library website is organized with a menu to categorize different library information and areas for students and staff. For the research specifically, their use of icons and categorization of databases specifically makes it easy to find the database I’m looking for based on my purpose in research. If they included a brief description of the content of each database, I think that would make their website the best in my eyes.

While exploring school websites to complete this assignment, I frequently reviewed and reflected on my own school library’s current website. I worked with my departing school librarian the last two years to review and provide feedback on improvements for the library website, but I still feel it is lacking in several areas that became clearer through this assignment. Some of the features and layout details I found to be appealing are unfortunately not an option through our interface in the district website, so I also considered that some of the school library websites I explored may be limited by what they are able to do/provide as a result of the district. Even so, I have noted several areas of our website that need to be updated and information I would like to add in order to improve our student and staff experience for the upcoming school year!