The Pratt SILS Site Sucks.
When the site is improved, we’ll happily delete this blog. Students, faculty, and even alumni are horrified that their School has such a terrible site, as it is the public face of Pratt SILS. Because conventional methods have failed to convince the Dean to overhaul the site, this anonymous blog was created.
you have an uphill battle convincing the dean to change–she does not take student complaints into account very much. She is the type of person who wants to control things as much as she can.
how about the ridiculously out of context tattoo pictures at http://pratt.edu/%7Einfosils/students.html?
It is just so awful.
awful.
Here is a litany of standard web design elements that are either completely ignored or used incorrectly on the Pratt SILS site. Most of these are standard operating procedure for anyone who knows anything about web design…..
-Structure of the site uses tables- is it still 1991??
-Does not use CSS for graphic/display aspects- CSS is taught in LIS654…..
-Images are inaccessible – there is no alt text!
-Links are inaccessible to blind users because they are not descriptive
-No version for handheld devices
-Secondary Navigation (Along the left side of the page) is confusing – what is it? content or navigation?
-Links and navigation are in serious need of some clarity, redefinition and organization – HELLO IA! Why have a class in IA if you deem it unnecessary for implementation on your own institutional site? kinda hypocritical, no?
-Header does not include detailed metadata
-Navigation elements are inconsistently used and sized (can be fixed by employing CSS)
-Navigational elements move!
-Images are inconsistently sized, making them look sloppy in the page layout
-Text is inconsistently sized
-Active and visited links are undefined
-No search tool – Hello! Search is considered primary navigation
-No sitemap
-No contact info at the bottom of the page
-Much of the colored text detracts from the information presented and is extremely difficult to read
-The design is UGLY UGLY UGLY!
-There’s no Contact page!!
C’mon SILS – stop embarrassing us! Please! We are all begging you! FIX THE SITE!
Seriously, everyone who attended and is still at Pratt – even the staff – feels this way. If you don’t believe this site, send out a survey, talk to people, actually listen to what they say!
everybody should know by now that self-aggrandizement is the dean’s forte. The site is a disgrace.
not much will change with the site or the terrible administration of the school unless there is a house cleaning – starting especially with the top. Check out the websites of other library and information schools– the difference is obvious.
the sooner we all graduate, the better. Under such poor leadership by an individual who has such little regard for student sentiment, the school will just decline in quality
this has nothing to do about the site, but we had best disregard any false statements the dean may make about the availability of jobs. The market is very tight and will probably get even tighter. Prepare for a long job search. Some may get lucky and find something quickly, but that will be the exception, not the rule. Meanwhile the dean tries to increase enrollment–all this adds to Pratt’s coffers–SILS is a cash cow for Pratt.
Go to the SILS Fellows page. Click on the sun. Awesome!
Hi, nice to meet you !