LJ netConnect/Web Feet Awards 2003

-- Library Journal, 06/02/2003

Four school libraries and two public libraries will receive the 2003 netConnect/Web Feet Best of the Web Awards, jointly sponsored by Library Journal, School Library Journal, and Web Feet. Awards are presented to school libraries in the categories of K-8 and high school. Awards to elementary and high schools are differentiated by the size of the facilities (fewer than 400 elementary/1500 high school students and larger schools), for a total of four prizes. Public library categories honor web sites providing health information and those designed to meet the needs of small businesses. Each award is accompanied by a $1000 grant from Web Feet.

Colegio International de Caracas, Venezuela (K-8, Small):
www.cic-caracas.org/aboutcic/elementarylibrary.shtml

Orchard Park Middle School, NY (K-8, Large)
www.opschools.org/library/middleschool

University Laboratory High School, Urbana-Champaign, IL (HS, Small):
www.uni.uiuc.edu/library

Canandaigua Academy, NY (HS, Large):
www.canandaiguaschools.org/academylibrary

Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County's Health Link Plus (Health Information, Large):
www.healthlinkplus.org

Toronto Public Library's SmallBizExpress (Small Business Information, Large):
smallbizxpress.tpl.toronto.on.ca

Winners were selected by a five-member committee: chair Brian Kenney, senior editor, netConnect/LJ; Carrie Bickner, New York Public Library's assistant director for digital information and systems design; Marie Boyle, managing editor, Web Feet; Kathy Loser, librarian, Bloomington High School North, IN; and Walter Minkel, technology editor, School Library Journal. The committee selected the winning sites based on usability, accessibility, clarity of design, range of resources, ranges of services, and community impact.

"Library Journal and School Library Journal are continually looking to recognize excellence in the library field," said the publications' editorial director Francine Fialkoff. "The winners prove that libraries are fully using the World Wide Web to serve their users better." Web Feet Publisher Ann Bagnell commented that "with school sites, it was good to see the strong emphasis on reading with summer reading lists, reading groups, and Book Clubs." Evan St. Lifer, SLJ editor-in-chief, added that the web sites "assure that school libraries are even more integral to learning, whether at school or at home."