By Erin Callahan

Each day, over 42,000 people visit Hennepin County Library’s award-winning Web site, www.hclib.org. Ever wonder who does all of its behind-the-scenes work? Our Web site is a hugely collaborative effort coordinated by the Web developers and content specialists in our Web services department.

Web developers manage the structure and functionality of the site, and content specialists train and coordinate the many librarians and other staff in libraries throughout our 41-library system who add content to our Web site. In addition to responsibilities in their library or department, contributing staff members answer questions, write reviews and sort through megabytes of online information to select quality resources and information for hclib.org. Contributors work on one or more of these areas:

Subject Guides bring together lists of quality Internet resources to supplement the library’s subscription databases. A variety of popular subjects are covered, including “Arts & Entertainment,” “Jobs & Careers” and “Technology.” Not any Web site will do – librarians carefully select links to timely and trustworthy resources on the web, many that you wouldn’t find in a quick Google search!

Many staff members contribute to book lists on BookSpace, HCL’s online reading community. Others create personal reading lists or write reviews for the “What We’re Reading” section or Outreach Service’s At Home Reader.

Birth to Six provides resources for parents, teachers and caregivers to help children get ready to learn to read in school. Several staff members contribute and update book lists, including the 635 titles in ELSIE, a database of recommended books searchable by keyword and by early literacy skills. Staff members also update fingerplays on the site and produce a bi-monthly newsletter.

Children in elementary school can visit KidLinks to learn about books and authors, find homework help, and explore selected fun Web sites. Several staff members create and maintain booklists; content is reviewed regularly by KidLinks teams.

Resources for TeenLinksare chosen so teens can explore issues affecting their lives, get homework help, develop as lifelong readers, and have fun. TeenLinks selectors gather resources from the Internet and come up with booklists to fill a variety of needs, including skinny books for reports due tomorrow and sob stories for when you need a good cry.

If you’re online and want to ask a question in real time, you have several options for Live online chat: librarians are trained to provide IM (instant message) reference assistance on HCL’s Ask a Librarian service, and support staff can chat with you about your account questions using Live Account Help. Some HCL librarians also contribute a total of five hours a week to AskMN.org, the collaborative statewide reference chat service that is available 24/7 to Minnesota residents.

Each of our libraries has a home page  created and maintained by one or more staff members at each library. These pages provide links and information about local resources and events.

Front page news on hclib.org is coordinated by a communications staffer, and capital projects staff members contribute library construction and renovation project updates.

As mentioned above, staff members in libraries across the county collaborate to make hclib.org another library location for finding quality resources. Eden Prairie Library staff is no exception. In addition to duties on the public floor and behind the scenes at the library, many staff members have Web site responsibilities, including IM reference and account help, Subject Guide maintenance, online tipsfor kids’ and teen book clubs, booklists on BookSpace and Birth to Six, KidLinks team membership, book reviews for the At Home Reader, Eden Prairie Library home page maintenance and even audio recorded booktalks  for teens!

Our goal is to provide great customer service however or wherever you arrive at Hennepin County Library. If you have questions about this or anything else, please stop by, call, send an e-mail, visit hclib.org or chat with us online!

Erin Callahan is a librarian at the Eden Prairie Library.