Everyone taking an ECDL course is taught what to look for in evaluating websites. We have developed an additional set of questions to help you evaluate websites for readers.

The checklist is a flexible tool, you can use it in different ways as part of your ICT and reader development training programme.

In a 30 minute session:

You can encourage staff to explore one or two sites and then use the checklist to analyse them. Encourage them to write a paragraph on one of the sites and email it to us. We will feature material from the most interesting evaluations that we receive.

In a 2 hour session:

You can set ten different book-related websites that staff can assess by using the checklist. They could write a paragraph evaluating one of them. You could lead a discussion on the effectiveness of the content and how the sites involve readers.

In a 3 hour session:

The best readers' websites spark creative thinking. If you want to encourage staff to plan new reader development projects, you could follow the previous session with a discussion about which sites could be used with readers in the library, and how.

In a day session:

You could build in a whichbook session after the 3 hour session and you would have a full programme of training to offer staff on ICT and reader development. You would also have an series of project outlines to develop that linked ICT to readers and books in your libraries.

Here are the tools - you build the programme.