Building The Website: The Structure
Defining the site architecture beforehand was essential. I looked at many examples of other library websites to for comparisons and to understand the method behind their structure, hoping to find a consensus of approach, and was interested in the variation as much as the similarities.
I feel that the structure I used was very simple, but even then it was at times difficult to decide where to locate a page, or what to call it, or how it should relate to others. In fact the biggest challenge I felt, from a structural point of view, was resisting the urge to put everything on one page, on the basis that it would be the essence of simplicity. On the opposite end of the scale, in the structure I used I had to resist the urge to put too many links on each page to other pages. That would negate the usefulness of contextual links and appropriate site architecture.
Having defined the structure before starting I did still tweak things in the making of it, which is fine and the simplicity of the original design allowed this to be done without any real issues. It was important to remember though to ensure any changes were reflected in the rest of the site, in terms of links and references elsewhere. A lesson learned that the later you change things, the more work you make for yourself.
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