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This is a tiny site. It includes sets of pages in thematical batches from 1 or 2 to 15/20 that group themselves like cherry or grapes. Some of the pages are translations from given authors who group them in a way that has sense in their original sites but not so much in this translated one. Some of them are not translations but do relate with the other ones in subject.
Up to now I have just kept them grouped in an index page with short unordered lists grouped by subjects (1. issue A.... 2. Issue B....). I have include a search ability at the top to facilitate things a bit more.
Now I feel things are beginning to turn unclear and I think I should change the structure and concept of displaying information (Is that "Information Architecture?" ;) ).
I think I could use a left-sidebar menu with the main subjects there, but as it happens that some pages do share some principal subjects... However some subjects may be so esotheric to newbies that if they are not presented very evidently and with a short explanation, they would be lost...
I have been seeing similar places and I do not like what I see. I find them most unclear or cumbersome from the informational point of view.
I have played with CMS like mambo (local instalation) and, though I liked them, I do not really see how they could help me to manage my content in the sense I want to.
Maybe I am looking for a stupid thing (extra clearness) but, does anybody have a suggestion, a hint or a link/book to read?
Have you read these links?
Information Architecture for the Small Site - part 1 [webmasterworld.com]
Information Architecture for the Small Site - part 2 [webmasterworld.com]
Putting Information Architecture into Practice [webmasterworld.com]
