Worthingteens

So, I looked at the teen space of the Worthington Public Library, which is set up like a blog: http://www.worthingtonlibraries.org/teen/blog/

I thought that it was all quite well designed, with lots of bells and whistles, like you would find on a teen's own blog, or a MySpace page or the like. The website includes features like a poll, this month asking which YA book movie adaptation was the worst (Eragon was in the lead last time I checked).

The blog was last updated two days ago, which seems reasonable to me (there wouldn't be something to say every single day, after all). There is information there about an upcoming program where they are making clocks out of old CDs, and the blog entry also includes information about other things you can do with old CDs (i.e. make a disco ball). They are also doing a recycled clothes designing competition along the lines of Project Runway, which seems like a fantastic idea.

The blog also includes information about newly arrived YA books (featuring short plot descriptions), and I was impressed that they talk about books in several different genres - some fantasy, some historical, some contemporary.

There are also a lot of fun little links to click on - like a map which charts where visitors are logging onto the website from (I think the teeny dot on N.S. is me!) - and links to library resources such as how to get a library card or homework help - and also a link to the library's MySpace page. The previous blog entries are all categorized so you can see entries about new (or award-winning) books, entries about events, programming, and the library itself.

Overall, I thought the design was busy enough to keep a teen interested, but not so cluttered that you can't find information. The overall design is OK - one of the better teen library sites, probably, but I would personally do away with the photos of wholesome, cheery-looking teens; and also the acid-wash-esque banner at the top of the page.

This is a great resource for the area's teens, who seem to be a valuable part of the library.