July 2003
Vol. 24(3)

In this Issue:

From the Desk of the Editor

Welcome New MAHSLIN Members!

MAHSLIN Education Committee Report

NAHSL 2004 Update

UMASS Medical School to "Go Local", NLM Associate Fellow at Lamar Soutter

Open Houses at Faulkner Hospital

People & Places

MAHSLIN NETWORK NEWS

A Quarterly Publication
of the Massachusetts Health Sciences Libraries Network

MASHLIN EDUCATION COMMITTEE REPORT

By Alison Clapp and Nathan Norris

On Wednesday, June 16, 2004, the MAHSLIN Education Committee sponsored a program on Web Design and PhotoShop. Brendan Wahlberg, the Webmaster for the Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine, taught this all-day program. MAHSLIN would like to thank the Vet School for providing refreshments and the use of their computer lab for this educational session. Attendees universally agreed that the Vet School campus is an idyllic spot.

The morning session focused on the process the Vet School recently went through in a total redesign of their website. Brendan emphasized the need to strive to be 508 compliant which means that users with various disabilities should be able to use your website. Using XHTML (Extensive Hypertext Markup Language) has multiple benefits including the fact that it meets 508 compliance, is easier for PDA’s to utilize your content and is viewable on all browsers. The Tufts Vet School website was initially created by an outside consultant. While the initial website was successful in getting the necessary content to the users, the redesign team wanted to upgrade the sites’ “look”, navigation (the goal was one click to get to the content) and finally the productivity of the staff. Part of the process was looking at a wide selection of other library websites with particular attention to structure, colors and classification.

Initially, staff identified all potential users (which turned out to be more than they realized) and then came up with various scenarios based on the groups and how they would be using the website. Focus groups were used to test the functionality of the “old” website rather than the design. Staff then tested the scenarios and started to think about what to name the specific sections for which they were responsible. After this initial testing, they found that they needed further work on the navigation system. In looking at the site before the new one debuted, they found both outdated and duplicate content. The testing process also demonstrated that people have different thought patterns in terms of finding information, and the redesign would try to take these differences into consideration.

The new navigation format includes top and bottom of the page options and does not use “hockey stick” navigation (where there is a navigation bar down the right or left side of the page. The design also relies on three colors.

Anyone interested in seeing the current version of the Webster Library’s website can go to: http://www.library.tufts.edu/vet/

During the afternoon session Brendan presented the group with a basic introduction to Photoshop. Throughout the session, he relayed numerous good Web design practices including how to create and save “layers” to make changes easier, as well as the importance of back-ups. The group worked with color images and modified them with Photoshop tools such as the “Magic Wand”, cropping tool and paint bucket to change their look and create navigation buttons for Web pages. The group learned that the format “. jpg” should be used for images that will be used for print and Web (those with photo qualities). The “.gif” format should be used for images that have no photo qualities such as school logos. Finally, images should be saved as the smallest possible file size while still retaining good quality.

Other useful information included the recommendation that Web page and image filenames contain all lower case letters with no spaces between them. The background layer should not contain arrows or wording, which will create additional work when changes are made. It is also useful to have separate folders for all Photoshop files (format .psd).

UPCOMING EVENTS

The second technology day program planned with the Mass. Medical Society has been finalized, and the date for this event is Sept. 22, 2004. The afternoon portion of the program will be the MLA satellite teleconference entitled, The Art and Practice of Electronic Journal, Book and Database Licenses: Practical Tips for Health Care Organizations. (http://www.mlanet.org/education/telecon/licenses/index.html)

The Education Committee is also planning a continuing education course on producing library flyers and newsletters. More details on this program will be coming soon.