There are not many technical hurdles to implementing accordian menus.  You
could do it pretty easily with something like jQuery UI.
https://jqueryui.com/accordion/

Whether it works well on a phone or not is just up to the way you go about
it.

On Tue, Dec 22, 2015 at 1:20 PM, Kyle Breneman <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

> Thanks, all, for your suggestions and insight.  Your replies pointed out
> several things that I hadn't been thinking about, including accessibility
> and designing for future devices.
>
> Kyle
>
> On Fri, Dec 18, 2015 at 3:01 PM, Kyle Breneman <[log in to unmask]>
> wrote:
>
> > Our library website is currently being redesigned to be responsive.  The
> > work is being done by an outside design firm and the project is being
> > managed by University Relations, our school's PR department.
> >
> > The mobile version of our responsive site has several accordion menus
> > (similar to attached).  I've asked for these accordion menus to be
> > self-closing; in other words, there is never more than one expansion of
> an
> > accordion open at one time - if a user clicks to open another part of the
> > accordion, the first part simultaneously slides shut.
> >
> > I've been told that self-closing accordions are contrary to best
> > practices:
> >
> > "Unfortunately, no, as this isn’t best practice. Accordions should
> require
> > a click each to open and close; in other words, nothing on your page
> should
> > move without a user action. This is true throughout our sites. See the
> > universal Quick Links in mobile."
> >
> > Is it true that self-closing accordion menus run counter to best
> practices
> > in mobile web design?  The sort of behavior that I'm asking for seems, to
> > me, intuitive and expected.
> >
> > Thanks for your input!
> >
> > Kyle Breneman
> > Integrated Digital Services Librarian
> > University of Baltimore
> >
>