Ever wonder what we’re talking about at the Library when we use language like “Primo,” “interlibrary loans,” or “microreaders”? To help solve the problem of library jargon, the Library has welcomed University of Toronto practicum student Samantha Wellhauser to join us for the winter term to work on a project to reduce library jargon on the Library’s website.
Samantha Wellhauser, University of Toronto Practicum Student
Since starting in January, Samantha has been conducting a detailed web content analysis of the library-specific terminology on our website, identifying confusing library jargon and inconsistent terminology.
“As an individual who is interested in accessibility it has been a really useful and educational experience to analyze terminology and to research the impact of ‘library jargon,’ ” Samantha says.
Her findings so far indicate that there are a lot of positive changes we can make to improve language on the Library's site in our upcoming website redesign. Samantha will be testing her findings later this month as part of the Library’s website redesign assessment activities.
Samantha is currently completing her Master of Information degree at University of Toronto's iSchool. Prior to this, she completed an undergraduate degree at Wilfrid Laurier University with a double major in Communications Studies and Women’s Studies.
In addition to this practicum position at the Library, Samantha’s library experience includes working at the New College Library at the University of Toronto and volunteering at the Women’s College Hospital Library and the Children’s Book Bank in Toronto.
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