Activity/Artifact
In late 2007 I was approached to help design and build the website for Oregon Reads 2009, a statewide one-book reading project sponsored by the Oregon Library Association for Oregon’s sesquicentennial. In the year and a half that I have been involved with this project I have given much though to how organizational and project websites can best provide relevant information to different groups and some of the challenges they face in doing so.
The Oregon Reads website is an interesting example of information collection and repackaging because it has been intended from the beginning to serve two very different audiences. First, one of the major purposes for the site is to help libraries around the state plan their own Oregon Reads activities. The Oregon Reads website brings together information on the selected books, discussion questions and activity ideas for bookgroups and storytimes, other recommended reading, programming suggestions and resources (e.g. bringing in taiko drummers or organizing a local oral history event), and downloadable promotional material.
The second audience for the Oregon Reads website is the Oregon public – those who are participating in the Oregon Reads program as well as those who just stumble across the website. The website provides these users with information about the books as well as information about the program and activities they can participate in. The site also links to virtual Oregon Reads bookclubs and blogs for users to talk about issues raised by reading the book. Hopefully by providing resources for people to participate in the program virtually, the website expands the community of participants beyond the population of regular library users.
Values
- Exhibit professional behavior, knowledge, and attitudes, based on client-centered philosophy and ethical guidelines.
- Demonstrate leadership by displaying vision, and adaptability, openness to new ideas, and risk-taking behavior.
