FAQ Pages further thoughts

In looking at the FAQ list page, the green box with the header "Categories" seemed superfluous , so I simply deleted it -- rather, I commented it out just in case it is better to have it.

I experimented with putting all of the FAQs for a category on one page, but it really did not work well. So, I guess we will continue to have them one to a page.

I am experimenting with having links to related FAQs at the end of the featured FAQ. Of course, we have always linked to other resources within FAQs.

Variation 837 of the Browse Subj, etc. pages

I rather liked the lighter, cleaner look of the FAQ draft. So...

I decided to try to mock up a similar look for the databases pages. I started with the Browse All E-Resources by General Subjects page.

This is what I did:

• Made the left navigation box into a tab-like box across two columns.
• Pulled the "Don't Know What to Do..." box back out of the right box and into a box spanning two columns under the navigation box.
• Created a column next to the "Don't Know box" with red letters to draw attention to the subjects TOC.
• Made the box containing the database links wider and centered it under the area containing the navigation, TOC, and right "Need Help" box.
• Added the links to the icon legend and create a personalized account to the "Needs Help" box.

I think this page looks less crowded. But have some concerns that it is not as clear that the purpose of this page is to go to the general subject links.

Altogther, though, I like it better.

FAQ list page draft

Initial steps:

• Got ideas from Web Cmte
• Reviewed their ideas and suggested sites
• Checked my previous searches for sites and reviewed those

Things I tried to do:

• Keep the look as uncluttered as possible.
• Keep the list on one page.
• Eliminate the miscellaneous category by merging into other categories

What I've done in the draft:

• I liked the idea of showing the most often used FAQs as I saw on the NCSU Libraries site.
• I looked at those most often viewed on the Web reports.
• Used the top 7
  
• Some of the top 20 surprised me.
• Most didn't. See report.
• Structure of the page (help1.css)
• Kept the right Need Help box but removed the bgcolor and only 3 elements.
• Put Most Frequently Asked box across two columns
• Created a table to group the list of all FAQs
• Created block headers for the categories.
• Made a TOC to jump to a category.
• Haven't made the links to each faq active yet.

One styling issue I haven't figured out yet:

• Why the gap between the "Categories" header and the next subcategories headers?
• gap appears in Firefox; not IE
• probably the cumulative effect of something that Firefox reads
  

Changes to the Browse all by Subjects page

I made several changes suggested by Red and Teresa yesterday afternoon.

Moved or duplicated (mostly duplicated):

• CQ entries to History, Government & Social Sciences
• Handbook of Texas, ditto
• Current Biography to General & Reference (moved)
  
• Added: Grove resources which had been left off to Humanities & Literature
• MasterFILE Premier to Technology & Workforce
• AccessScience, ditto

w3 pages:

• removed all the specific page links
• created a link to the w3 listing page section that was applicable, e.g.,
• Sciences Web Pages (Recommended by ACC Librarians)

Did some cleanup of the spreadsheet and database that has all of the eresources info listed.

As per Jon's suggestions:

• Put Business & Company Resources center in Business & Economics - was inadvertantly left off the list.
• Added LISTA to the general section.
  

Steve requested that we add the special Pubmed link that limits to ACC materials that is referenced on the Health & Life Sciences Shortcut page.

• I added the links on the AtoZ List and on the Browse Subj List.
• In addition, I added a link to more information and did a popup window with an explanation and instructions similar to the "Don't Know Where to Start"
  

Dilemma of wrapping text in the "Need Help?" box

The structure of the right "Need Help?" box prevented the entry of long resource titles without wrapping text in the Don't know where to begin? section, e.g.,

• Academic Search Premier
• Encyclopedia Britannica Online

The options that came to mind were

• Use a tooltip box like the one we have on the homepage with links to the resources.
• One of the reasons for NOT doing this is that many of the students who might want to use that option, may not think to wand over those words.
  
• Make a clickable link to another page.
• This seemed like a good option but I think that a smaller popup-like box would be better.
  
• So, I made a short html page (wheretostart.htm) and added the code for opening a window of a certain size in a certain position on the screen so as to give the information but preserve the screen behind it.
• a href="#" onClick="window.open('wheretostart.htm', 'newWnd',
  'width=450,height=300,left=350,top=250 ')".....