Designing Your Web: Learning HTML, CSS, XHTML, and More

by Sarah Deringer, Head Editor, INALJ Mississippi

Designing Your Web: Learning HTML, CSS, XHTML, and More

sarahderingerRead many job descriptions these days, and you might find certain skills needed that include being able to design websites using HTML, CSS, XHTML, Javascript, PHP, MySQL, and a number of other coding languages. You may have had some training in college dealing with the basics of HTML, but if you’re like me, you feel like you need to know more before you can feel confident about your skills. There’s also the nagging feeling of, “Where do I even start?” Luckily, there are many resources available to help you learn about each, and I’ve compiled a great list of essential resources that you can use to begin designing your library’s website and becoming more marketable as a potential library employee.

Websites & Blogs

Twitter

Books

Online Video Tutorials

Upcoming Webinars

Anytime Webinars

Now that you have a list of resources to start learning from, don’t forget to plan your learning.

  • Start with making goals. These goals should be specific. What exactly do you want to learn? Your goals should be measurable. How will you know you learned it? Make sure your goal is attainable. Is your goal too big to achieve or just the right amount? Goals should be relevant. Is this really going to help you in the long run, or are you going to become bored with it easily? Set your goals with specific deadlines. By when do you want to accomplish your goal?
  • Learn! Try each goal step-by-step.
  • Evaluate. How well are you doing? What do you need to meet your goal?

Don’t let the job descriptions or web design intimidate you. Just learn something new a day at a time, and find the right job for you!