[SLA-SF] SLA DBIO website RFP

[Eris Weaver]

Note: I am forwarding this RFP from SLA's Biomedical and Life Sciences
Division as a service both to our Chapter and the BLS Division. The
Chapter Executive Board discussed whether this would be a violation of
our listserv policy against posting job announcements on the list, and
decided that this 1) wasn't really a job announcement and 2) since it
came from SLA Headquarters it was important to share with everyone. 

If you disagree with the appropriateness of this posting, please let me
know and the Executive Board will discuss it further!

*******************************************
Eris Weaver, President
SLA San Francisco Bay Region Chapter
phone/fax 707-795-2157
erisw at sonic.net


"I really didn't realize the librarians were, you know, such a dangerous
group. They are subversive. You think they are just sitting there at the
desk, all quiet and everything. They're like plotting the revolution,
man. I wouldn't mess with them."
      --- Michael Moore 

---
Biomedical and Life Sciences Division, Special Libraries Association 
(SLA) Web Site Redesign

The Biomedical and Life Sciences Division (DBIO) requests proposals for 
the revision and redesign of their existing website located at 
http://units.sla.org/division/dbio/.
Please submit your proposal no later than December 15, 2006.

Website redesign project must be completed by June 30, 2007.

Our goals for the new web site redesign are to promote the Division's 
image and services; increase membership; facilitate two way 
communication; encourage initial and return visits through improved 
usability and appeal; and capture the interest of our members and 
potential members by its format, ease of use, attractiveness, color, and

identifiable logos. It is expected that the redesign will create an 
infrastructure that makes the site easier to maintain, to add new 
content and to make future improvements. The DBIO website is hosted by 
SLA, our parent organization.

With this website we wish to communicate that DBIO is part of SLA, the 
leading global organization for innovative information professionals and

their strategic partners. DBIO supports information professionals who 
are working or interested in the life sciences and related disciplines, 
through education, advocacy and networking. DBIO Division needs to have 
its own identity separate from our parent organization (www.sla.org) 
while still maintaining a synergy in look and feel between the two. The 
Medical Section serves as a forum for our members who are engaged or 
interested in health care. We want to personalize the Medical Section 
with a separate logo, and offer web content specific to this segment 
attributes, while maintaining consistency in "look and feel" throughout 
the entire DBIO site.
Under the guidance of the DBIO Website redesign committee, the 
successful candidate will perform the following activities: Website
redesign:

Designing the overall message and the appropriate "look and feel" to 
communicate visually with members and potential members:
. Logos. Design two interconnected logos: the Biomedical and Life 
Sciences Division (DBIO) logo and the Medical Section logo with a 
relatively minimalist design, to indicate that the Medical Section is 
part of the DBIO. These logos need to look professional, unique and 
appealing in conveying the slightly different subject focus, such as 
life sciences and medicine respectively of DBIO and the Medical Section.

Also these logos need to be compatible with the SLA visual identity logo

. Layout. Enhance the overall aesthetic appeal of the existing content 
by creating a layout that will communicate our brand and purpose. The 
layout and overall design of the page should help the user to spot the 
various elements of the page intuitively.
. Web interface aspects. Design a website that is not graphics-intensive

that contains quick-loading, easily accessible pages, and is consistent 
throughout in font colors, terminology, layout, navigation and
appearance. . Color. Use high-contrast text color combinations, high
contrast panel 
color combinations, and plenty of white space to enhance readability in 
order to convey a professional and prestigious look to the website.
Functional Design: . Navigation. Web site navigation should be apparent 
through each page by the use of a clear and intuitive menu system. 
Improve information architecture, categorization and labeling to achieve

shorter, simpler tasks and greater cross-site consistency.
. Interactivity. Each web page should display a permanent menu that 
contains the following subject headings: DBIO Home, Medical Section 
Home, SLA Home, Contact Us, Join, and Feedback. Feedback is a form/ pop 
up menu which users can use to respond to a poll (How would you rate 
this page? or anything else we might need to know). This permanent menu 
also should include a full-text search feature with relevancy sorting, 
and a site map with auto-change indexing/ updating.
Standards and Guidelines:
. All web pages will comply with SLA guidelines and standards. The SLA 
Web Site Style Guide will be provided upon request. All web pages will 
comply also to web accessibility standards of the Americans with 
Disabilities Act (ADA), with exceptions where it would be cost 
-prohibitive. Web Programming and Scripting Languages:
. Design templates, interactive forms, and CGI files as needed. It is 
mandatory to code in one of two the programming languages ASP or Cold 
Fusion.
. Make it dramatically easier for us to add pages and manage page 
content using the web authoring tool Macromedia Dreamweaver (highly 
recommended but not mandatory). You will be assigned a 
password-protected space on the network.
Testing and Validation:
. Develop and test prototypes with multiple graphical browsers, and on 
different platforms (Mac, PC, and UNIX). Ensure accurate HTML code.
Required Qualifications:

1. Knowledge in site design, architecture, good navigation 
methodologies, search engine optimization and maintenance.
2. Demonstrated initiative and creativity in planning and facilitating 
projects
3. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

Send proposals, including: a cover letter addressing the required 
qualifications as well as what the applicant can do to enhance the DBIO 
Web site; a resume/ portfolio demonstrating the applicant's Web 
publishing abilities; a list of references from most recent projects, 
and a bid for services to be provided. Send Proposals via e-mail 
(attachments are acceptable) with the Subject line: DBIO WEB SITE 
REDESIGN APPLICATION to Claudia Lascar at clascar at ccny.cuny.edu, no 
later than December 15, 2006. You will be notified of our decision in 
January, 2006.
PLEASE NOTE: Dependent on caliber of design offered, budgetary 
constraints of the organization restrict the DBIO Web site redesign bid 
range to $1,000 to $5,000 U.S. dollars for the one-time 2007 redesign.

For more information about the DBIO Web site or the application process,

please contact
Claudia Lascar, MPA, MSLIS, AHIP Assistant Professor/ Reference 
Librarian City College of New York Science-Engineering Library Marshak 
Building, Room J29 138th Street at Convent Avenue New York, NY 10031 
Voice: 212 650-6826 Fax: 212 650-7626 E-mail: clascar at ccny.cuny.edu

Rev. November 5, 2006,