John F Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum

     As part of my humanities site evaluation, I visited the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum website on June 3, 2009.  The Organization is one of the 13 Presidential Library and Museums in the nation.

      By typing www.jfklibrary.org  in your browser’s address box you easily get access to the website. The web page gives the user explicit cues to the context and organization of the site.  Clear, consistent icons, graphic identity schemes give users confidence that they can find what they are seeking without wasting time.

      The site provides information on documents, audiovisual material and memorabilia of President Kennedy, his family, and his contemporaries so as to allow people to study and gain insight of the times in which he lived, and also help to entrench the ideals of democracy and freedom in young people all over the world.

     The website has links on what is new.  These links provide news of recent events, activities and visits of notable personalities to the Library and Museum.   This is particularly refreshing since at the site you are not only reading and learning history but you become familiar with current affairs and the ongoing activities the centre is involved in.

     By clicking on the historical resources one gains access to historical events, archival materials and biographical stories of the President that includes the address at Rice University on September 12, 1962 on the famous space program that J F Kennedy delivered with insightful passion.  He urged the nation to make a commitment to get to the moon ahead of the Russians who were then clearly at the forefront in the space adventure.   The response of America was overwhelming and resulted in the greatest mobilizations of resources and manpower that made the U.S. overtake the Russians and landed on the moon first, on July 20, 1969. Though he did not live to see it happen, it was JFK’s speech that challenged America to show commitment and determination.  There is a link to an exhibit that focuses on the elements that combined to achieve that success.   Similar addresses given in the spirit of optimism and wit coupled with inspiration of hope and idealism, in the face of daunting challenges, are captured in speeches that captivate the interest of people who visit the site.

     If you want to know the social aspect of the center such as visitation hours, rental space, the Kennedy Foundation and Museum Store then “J F Kennedy Library and Museum” is your link to click.

     The “Education and public programs” link provides information for students, teachers, and on various forums organized regularly by the establishment.

     The effectiveness of the site in its presentation of information and helping the user learn and gain knowledge is not in doubt.  The usefulness of the navigational links and external links of the search engine on the site enable people to gain information into the lives and history of important visitors to the library as well as links to the other 12 Presidential Libraries and Museums in the US.

     It is hard to say what I will change since I am a novice in website design.