We are currently researching our user bases in the hopes of creating a MeL redesign that will meet the needs of all of our users. As you can imagine, library staff is a rather large user group, and the current MeL site…isn’t doing the best it can. A group of graduate students from the University of Michigan School of Information helped us out by MeL.org under close scrutiny.

They were able to compile the following findings, some of which may seem familiar to you:

• Library staff find it hard to navigate or locate desirable information from the vast pool of resources
• The Promotion & Training section does not adequately convey which trainings are available in which subheading.
• The inability to search all MeL resources through the databases search is confusing to users, especially in the Promotion & Training section.

Interested in seeing their full report? They posted their final report in video form to YouTube. 

Their findings, together with our own research, and the great feedback we received in the card sorting exercise at the Loleta Fyan Small and Rural Libraries Conference will all contribute to the new MeL.org.

Brought to you by Kathy Kosinski of the MeL Team.

MeL databases are available to Michigan residents or Michigan library access only.

Want more information on MeL?  Stay tuned for the next MeL Minute available on many Michigan library listservs, email us at contact@mel.org,  visit http://mel.org, or sign up for the MeL Minute and other Library of Michigan e-mail lists via GovDelivery. We encourage you to share MeL Minutes with your colleagues and networks.

#IMLSGrant