Marc Garnerwill walk you through the development of euroguide; a subject gateway to EU websites, which was developed by Essex Libraries (UK) with input from members of the EARL European Task Group, and design work by Sixtyeight Creative Solutions.
Euroguide [1] is a subject gateway to websites which contain information about the European Union. It has been developed by Essex Libraries [2] with input from members of the EARL European Task Group. EARL (Electronic Access to Resources in Libraries) [3] is a consortium of 146 public library authorities who are working together to develop and deliver networked information services in public libraries.
1. To assist individual members of the public (European citizens) to find their way through the maze of European information on the Internet, and to guide them to authoritative sources of European Union information on the web.
2. To provide a more efficient and cost effective way for public
libraries offering public Internet access to help their users make best
use of the web. In the past each authority would have had to construct its
own guide to websites containing EU information, now it is hoped that they
will simply ‘point’ to Euroguide.
Essex Libraries approached Sixtyeight Creative Solutions [4], who specialise in internet solutions, with whom they have previously collaborated on a number of other web projects including:
The design of the site had to take account of a number of goals. Firstly, the site is aimed at naive users, i.e. users who might have little experience of using the Internet and/or who might have little understanding of the European Union and European information. Therefore the site had to be very easy to use and to avoid specialist terminology. Euroguide points users to specific pages within sites, as well as homepages wherever possible. Secondly, the site is intended to be adopted by individual public library authorities and therefore it was important that it should look visually attractive and interesting, and that it should establish its own identity and domain name (rather than Essex Libraries). Thirdly, the site is intended to be very participative, and to encourage users to suggest useful sites for inclusion, send comments and ideas, and also ask for help if they couldn't find the information they were looking for.
An alphabetical list of subject categories. Initially, the guide offers access by 60 subject categories, which have been chosen to represent the terms that people use when searching for information, rather than ‘Eurojargon.’ Clicking on a category takes the user to a list of sites which contain information relevant to the topic.
Sixtyeight used the professional web authoring package 'Golive
CyberStudio' to create the site.
Adobe Photoshop 5 was used as the main graphics tool for the user
interface. Titles, graphics and buttons were created in Photoshop and then
exported as GIF or JPEG files. 'Sixtyeight' sketch out the page layout and
ideas for the user interface on paper. Once happy with the structure and
concept, this is then worked up within Adobe Illustrator and/or Photoshop
as a complete page. The client is then presented with either printouts of
these designs or a working web demo. Once approved a test site is produced
and after final ammendments 'goes live'. 'Sixtyeight' tailor their service
to the specific needs of each client and approach projects as more of a
partner than a supplier. "We enjoy what we do and see no reason why
the client should miss out on that either." says Marc Garner "...euroguide
is meant to feel uncomplicated to use and Phase Two will make it even
simpler for the euroguide team to maintain. We aimed to 'create a presence
on the Net' for the euroguide team and not a daunting presence in their
office."
The site, as it is now is very much in its infancy. There are ambitious plans for further development, both in terms of the content and the technology supporting it. With regard to the content the guiding principle is ‘quality not quantity.’ The aim is to guide users to the key, authoritative European information sites, not to try to list as many as possible. Developments in this area will focus on keeping up with changes and adding new sites as appropriate – hopefully guided by input from users. We are also beginning to work on short descriptions of the sites so as to make it easier for users to select suitable sites from the listings.
Developments are now beginning on the core part of Phase Two. This is to provide the euroguide team with direct access to a database of categories and their entries. 'Sixtyeight' proposed various functions to the euroguide team. Below is a summary of the updating procedures planned, all the administration takes place through a standard web browser.
1. They can add a new category, edit the name of existing categories or edit the contents of any category.
2. Either the whole database or just one category can be viewed and its entries edited.
3. Entries contain the 'Title', a description to appear below the title and the URL to display if the title is clicked.
4. Entries can be edited at any time and the web site is therefore updated immediately.
5. If a new entry is added it appears at the top of the list of entries for that category and flagged 'NEW'. A preset controls how long entries remain 'NEW', this preset can be changed at any time through the admin area. When the preset period expires the 'NEW ' flag is removed and the entry reverts to its alphabetical position within the list. 'NEW' entries are also automatically added to the 'What's New' page until the preset period expires.
6. Some entries may fall under more than one category. Therefore to avoid having to enter data twice, entries can easily be duplicated to another category or moved to another category.
'Sixtyeight' were keen to provide a solution which could be easily managed by the euroguide team. But which was also flexible enough to cope with future developments or requirements.
The site was launched around October 1998, and seems to have addressed a real need. Usage rates are impressive. Enquiries and questions such as the following arrive regularly:
Sara Ann Kelly of the euroguide team comments "Overall the comments have been very positive, but it's also useful to receive constructive criticism. I am very excited about the future of euroguide."
Marc Garner, Sixtyeight Creative Solutions, email:
solutions@sixtyeight.co.uk
Sara Ann Kelly, European Information Officer, Essex
Libraries, email: Sara.Ann.Kelly@essexcc.gov.uk
Mary Rowlatt, Information Services Manager, Essex
Libraries, email: maryr@essexcc.gov.uk
If you have any comments on this article, please contact the editors (exploit-editor@ukoln.ac.uk).
Marc Garner
Sixtyeight Creative Solutions
Email: solutions@sixtyeight.co.uk
URL: http://www.sixtyeight.co.uk
Sixtyeight
Creative Solutions, known as '68' to its friends and clients, has been
developing internet solutions for 3 years. Marc Garner, who formed the
company, has strong roots in creative design and advertising. '68' are
able to provide complete campaign packages including not only a structured
internet presence but also supporting printed literature and promotion.
'68' have seen steady growth with clients such as Essex County Council,
Kotschy & Kotschy Advertising, Oyez Press, Marketing International and
H.E. Stringer Ltd.
For citation purposes:
Marc Garner, "The Development of euroguide," Exploit Interactive, issue 1, 10 April 1999
URL: <http://www.exploit-lib.org/issue1/euroguide/>
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