scholarly journals Testing the Competition: Usability of Commercial Information Sites Compared with Academic Library Web Sites

2002 ◽  
Vol 63 (5) ◽  
pp. 433-448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiffini Anne Travis ◽  
Elaina Norlin
Keyword(s):  
Web Sites ◽  
Web Site ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Research Library ◽  
Usability Study ◽  
Design Features ◽  
Research Libraries ◽  
University Library ◽  
User Friendly

With the growing size of academic library Web sites, constant updating, authentication issues, and organization are increasingly difficult for libraries to maintain user-friendly sites. This usability study examines how students use electronic research libraries such as Questia, which has been designed to replace traditional libraries and compare it with large university library Web sites. Students were asked to perform tasks at two electronic research library sites and then at two large university library Web sites. Major implications of this study are that design features incorporated by Web site designers can drastically affect the success of students doing research.

A User Information Needs Study of the McMaster University Library Web Site

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Wagner ◽  
Brian Detlor
Keyword(s):  
Web Sites ◽  
Web Site ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
University Library ◽  
Site Development ◽  
Site Web ◽  
User Perspectives ◽  
Mcmaster University

This paper discusses an information needs study of the McMaster University Library web site in an effort to improve the design and utility of the site from various user perspectives. Study findings and recommendations for future web site development are discussed, many generalizable to academic library web sites at large.Cette communication présente une étude sur les besoins informationnels des utilisateurs sur le site Web de la bibliothèque de l’Université McMaster afin d’améliorer la conception et l’utilité du site Web selon le point de vue de différents utilisateurs. On y discute des résultats de l’étude et des recommandations pour la conception de futurs sites Web, dont plusieurs peuvent être généralisés à l’ensemble des sites Web de bibliothèques universitaires.

Web Site Mobilization Techniques

2019 ◽  
pp. 1837-1845
Author(s):  
John Christopher Sandvig
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Devices ◽  
Web Sites ◽  
Web Site ◽  
Web Design ◽  
Laptop Computers ◽  
Digital Devices ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Desktop Computers ◽  
Physical Limitations ◽  
User Friendly

Mobile-friendly websites are designed to render well on all digital devices, including smartphones, desktop computers, laptop computers, and tablets. Creating a user-friendly experience on mobile devices requires specific web design techniques. These techniques are designed to accommodate the small screens and other physical limitations of mobile devices. This chapter describes the three primary techniques for creating mobile-friendly web sites: responsive, separate URL, and server adaptive. It explains how each technique is implemented, the advantages and disadvantages of each, and their relative popularity. It also describes an emerging mobile technique called accelerated mobile pages.

Voter Information Web Sites

2011 ◽  
pp. 1623-1628
Author(s):  
A. Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Web Sites ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Web Site ◽  
Future Trends ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Design Features ◽  
Site Design ◽  
Voter Information ◽  
Voting Decisions ◽  
The Web

Several election studies observe that considerations regarding issues and policies have been gaining weight in voting decisions in Western countries, at the expense of previously existing class or partisan alignments (Denver, 2003). This development may imply that voters show more information-seeking behaviour. In the 1990s, various Web sites have emerged that are designed to support the voters in this job. These voter information Web sites are nonpartisan Web sites that provide the users with information on the election promises, issue positions or past performance of political parties or individual candidates. The term Web site should be understood as including various Internet-based resources and facilities, such as databases, decision-support systems, and discussion forums. In this article, we address the question what these voter information Web sites may offer in terms of their potential of enhancing the quality of voting decisions. The core of this exposition will centre on the Web site design features and on how the voters make use of the Web sites. In the next section, we will highlight the distinction between prospective and retrospective Web sites. The section titled “Voter Information Web Sites” provides an overview of the main design features of voter information Web sites. Some examples of prospective and retrospective Web sites will be discussed. In the Future Trends section, we point toward some future trends. Finally, a tentative assessment will be given of the significance of voter information Web sites for enhancing the functioning of representative democracy.

scholarly journals Accessing E-books through Academic Library Web Sites

2007 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Dinkelman ◽  
Kristine Stacy-Bates
Keyword(s):  
Web Sites ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Research Libraries ◽  
Association Of Research Libraries ◽  
Barriers To Access ◽  
One Step ◽  
Common Barriers ◽  
Improve Access ◽  
The Web

This article examines access to electronic books as provided on the Web sites of academic libraries in the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). Our goal was to discover the ways in which that access occurs and to analyze the merit of the various approaches. We found some common barriers to access, as well as many cases of exemplary access. Many libraries could improve access to e-books by providing guidance to the content of e-book packages, by including the word “book” in links from the homepage to the pages that provide e-books, by providing a one-step limit to e-books in the catalog, by explaining which types of resources are available through search structures outside the catalog, and by featuring e-books in library publicity and instruction.

scholarly journals Using Server-Side Include Commands for Subject Web-Page Management: An Alternative to Database-Driven Technologies for the Smaller Academic Library

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 192-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lori Northrup ◽  
Ed Cherry ◽  
Della Darby
Keyword(s):  
Web Site ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Online Resources ◽  
Web Pages ◽  
Web Page ◽  
Server Side ◽  
University Library ◽  
Elegant Solution

Frustrated by the time-consuming process of updating subject Web pages, librarians at Samford University Library (SUL) developed a process for streamlining updates using Server-Side Include (SST) commands. They created text files on the library server that corresponded to each of 143 online resources. Include commands within the HTML document for each subject page refer to these text files, which are pulled into the page as it loads on the user's browser. For the user, the process is seamless. For librarians, time spent in updating Web pages is greatly reduced; changes to text files on the server result in simultaneous changes to the edited resources across the library's Web site. For small libraries with limited online resources, this process may provide an elegant solution to an ongoing problem.

Improving academic library website accessibility for people with disabilities

2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (8/9) ◽  
pp. 565-581 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Billingham
Keyword(s):  
Web Sites ◽  
Web Site ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Initial Testing ◽  
Wcag 2.0 ◽  
Version 2.0 ◽  
Accessibility Guidelines ◽  
The Web

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explain how Edith Cowan University (ECU) Library improved the accessibility of their web site, aiming for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.0 Level AA. It describes the results obtained. Design/methodology/approach – Initial testing by consultants was conducted in October 2012. The web site was defined as all webpages which appear part of the library web site, including supplier webpages, plus pages from the university web site and library web site. Library staff applied the recommendations to pages which they could edit, and discussed the recommendations with suppliers to improve their product ' s accessibility. The web site was re-tested in June 2013. Findings – ECU Library web site failed WCAG 2.0 Level A standard in the initial testing and re-testing. Many individual pages which failed initially passed the re-test. The smallest improvement was seen in suppliers’ web sites. Practical implications – This paper could help libraries to improve web site accessibility, as it covers negotiating with suppliers to upgrade their web sites, plus upgrading editable webpages. It shows initial and re-test results, allowing libraries to compare their results to those of ECU. Legislation and guidelines state web sites should be accessible to all users and organisations providing non-accessible web sites risk being sued. Social implications – A web site not complying with WCAG version 2.0 would be very difficult for people with disabilities to access. Upgrading ECU Library ' s web site will provide all users with more equal access to the resources. Originality/value – This study describes problems in upgrading academic library webpages and related supplier web sites and organisation web site to improve accessibility for people with disabilities.

ScratchPad

2011 ◽  
pp. 102-126
Author(s):  
Laura B. Cohen ◽  
Matthew M. Calsada ◽  
Frederick J. Jeziorkowski
Keyword(s):  
Web Sites ◽  
Web Site ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Public Posting ◽  
Implementation Outcomes ◽  
Quality Control Tool ◽  
Planning Development ◽  
Staff Engagement ◽  
Control Tool

This chapter describes the planning, development, and implementation of a quality management tool for an academic library Web site. It explains the impetus for the project, presents the rationale for developing the tool, and describes the system components. The tool balances the needs of Web contributors with the assurance of a professional presentation of the organization’s Web site by offering a systematic workflow from development to production, with appropriate quality oversight prior to public posting. Implementation outcomes are discussed, especially as they relate to staff engagement and solving post-production issues. The authors hope that technical staff in other libraries will consider implementing a quality control tool to manage their Web sites.

scholarly journals Usability of the Academic Library Web Site: Implications for Design

2001 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 355-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise McGillis ◽  
Elaine G. Toms
Keyword(s):  
Web Sites ◽  
Web Site ◽  
Online Shopping ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Information Architecture ◽  
Library Users ◽  
Information Problem

Today’s savvy library users are starting to equate the library Web site with the physical library. As they accomplish, virtually, many personal activities such as online shopping, banking, and news reading, they transfer those experiences to other activities in their lives. This increases their expectations about the functionality of a library Web site and how one interacts with it. The purpose of this study was twofold: to assess the usability of an academic library Web site and to better understand how faculty and students complete typical tasks using one. Thirty-three typical users successfully completed 75 percent of a set of typical tasks in about two minutes per task and were satisfied with the clarity and organization of the site. Despite their success in completing the tasks, however, they experienced difficulties in knowing where to start and with the site’s information architecture—in particular, with interpreting the categories and their labels. The authors concluded that library Web sites fail to take into account how people approach the information problem and often reflect traditional library structures.

scholarly journals Academic Web Site Design and Academic Templates: Where Does the Library Fit In?

2006 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Peterson
Keyword(s):  
Web Sites ◽  
Web Site ◽  
Poster Session ◽  
Colleges And Universities ◽  
Web Site Design ◽  
Research Libraries ◽  
Campus Design ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Site Design ◽  
The Look

Academic Web site design continues to evolve as colleges and universities are under increasing pressure to create a Web site that is both hip and professional looking. Many colleges and universities are using templates to unify the look and feel of their Web sites. Where does the library Web site fit into a comprehensive campus design scheme? The library Web site is unique due to the wide range of services and content available. Based on a poster session presented at the Twelfth Annual Association of College and Research Libraries conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, April 2005, this paper explores the prevalence of university-wide academic templates on library Web sites and discusses factors libraries should consider in the future.

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