scholarly journals Google Scholar and the Library Web Site: The Early Response by ARL Libraries

2006 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 106-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Bowering Mullen ◽  
Karen A. Hartman
Keyword(s):  
Web Sites ◽  
Web Site ◽  
Early Response ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
Google Scholar ◽  
University Libraries ◽  
Research Libraries ◽  
Rutgers University ◽  
User Groups

With the introduction of Google Scholar in November 2004, research libraries faced the decision of whether to integrate this “blended” resource into their collections and services via their library Web sites. The authors are members of a Web Advisory Committee and present a case study detailing Rutgers University Libraries’ experience with integrating Google Scholar onto the library’s Web site. A descriptive study of all ARL university members’ library Web sites also was undertaken to determine how other academic libraries were treating Google Scholar in July 2005. Did ARL libraries place Google Scholar on alphabetical lists of indexes and databases, subject guides, or in OPACs, for instance? Results from this study are presented and implications of putting Google Scholar on the Web site are discussed for all major user groups.

Analysis of Specifications for Web Screen-Design Using Rough Sets

2006 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 688-694 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toshinobu Harada ◽  
◽  
Ryousuke Tanaka
Keyword(s):  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Web Sites ◽  
Rough Sets ◽  
Web Site ◽  
Information Design ◽  
Screen Design ◽  
Nonlinear Methods ◽  
Aesthetic Appeal ◽  
The Web

Recent Web sites have created the impression of representing companies or universities. Little research has been done to verify the relations between the composition elements of Web sites and the sense of values using nonlinear methods such as rough sets. We made a Web site for a university in the design and information design field into a case study, and aimed at clarifying the relation between the composition elements and users’ sense of values regarding the Web site. First, a questionnaire for sample Web sites was conducted using six terms to evaluate the sense of values. We then analyzed the results with multiple regression analysis, and clarified what evaluation terms affected their degree of aesthetic appeal. As a result, the subjects were classified by their sense of values into five clusters. Furthermore, combinations of composition elements for the Web site affecting the degree of aesthetic appeal in each cluster were extracted using rough sets. As a result of assessing the new Web site on the basis of the above results, we found that impressions and aesthetic appeal are controllable.

LibQUAL+™ at Miami University: a look from outside ARL

2002 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 59-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith A. Sessions ◽  
Alex Schenck ◽  
Aaron K. Shrimplin
Keyword(s):  
Library Services ◽  
Service Needs ◽  
University Libraries ◽  
Service Levels ◽  
Research Libraries ◽  
Association Of Research Libraries ◽  
Miami University ◽  
Organizational Planning ◽  
Local Results

This case study presents data generated from Miami University Libraries’ participation in LibQUAL+™ 2000‐2001, a national service quality survey for libraries. Miami’s data are analyzed through a series of questions to identify client service needs, evaluate current service levels, and place local results within the broader context of aggregate scores and score norms from all participating institutions. Finally, questions are raised about the extent of LibQUAL+™’s relevance both for libraries that are not members of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and for organizational planning beyond traditional library services.

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.

scholarly journals Leveraging student course enrollment data to infuse personalization in a library website

2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 450-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Chan
Keyword(s):  
Web Sites ◽  
Web Site ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Course Enrollment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Technical Requirements ◽  
Unique Source ◽  
The University ◽  
Enrollment Data

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the benefits of integrating personalization within a library web site and presents methodology for achieving this goal within an academic setting. Design/methodology/approach – The project documented in this study explores the use of student course enrollment data as the basis for creating a personalized library web site. Off-the-shelf, open source applications are used in conjunction with existing university data to deliver a final product that offers an enhanced user experience for the university community. Findings – Adaptive personalization is increasingly commonplace on the web. Academic libraries have a unique source of existing data that offers the potential of adding personalization to the library web site. At present, the personalization of library online services remains largely unexplored. This project illustrates one relatively low-cost method to help libraries interested in creating personalized web sites. Practical implications – This paper provides a guide for libraries interested in the implementation of personalization within their web sites. Originality/value – The project described in this case study is highly unique within libraries. The paper outlines the feasibility and technical requirements associated with using course enrollment data to add personalized content to a library web site.

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.

scholarly journals Recommendations for Benchmarking Web Site Usage among Academic Libraries

1998 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christy Hightower ◽  
Julie Sih ◽  
Adam Tilghman
Keyword(s):  
Information Management ◽  
Web Sites ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Web Site ◽  
Academic Librarians ◽  
Voluntary Reporting ◽  
Research Libraries ◽  
Association Of Research Libraries ◽  
Reporting Structure ◽  
Comparative Statistical Analysis

The Web sites that academic libraries are developing for their research communities represent an important new aspect of information management. Comparative statistical analysis of Web site usage among similar institutions would improve librarians’ ability to evaluate the effectiveness of their efforts. A centralized voluntary reporting structure for Web server usage statistics, coordinated by the Association of Research Libraries’ (ARL’s) Office of Statistics, would provide a significant service to academic librarians. Factors to consider in designing such a benchmarking program are discussed, based on a pilot study of Web site usage statistics from fourteen science and technology libraries.

scholarly journals Development of Deal- and Journal-level Metrics and Methods Assists Librarians to Evaluate Big Deals

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 34
Author(s):  
Kathleen Reed
Keyword(s):  
Research University ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
The United States ◽  
Research Libraries ◽  
Doctoral Research ◽  
Library Users ◽  
User Groups ◽  
Design Case Study ◽  
The Cost

A Review of: Blecic, D.D., Wiberley, Jr., S.E., Fiscella, J.B., Bahnmaier-Blaszczak, S., & Lowery, R. (2013). Deal or no deal?: Evaluating Big Deals and their journals. College & Research Libraries, 74(2), 178-193. Objective – To assess the value of aggregated journal packages (Big Deals) and to select individual journal titles for continued subscription should a deal be cancelled. Design – Case study. Setting – Doctoral research university library in the United States of America. Subjects – Three anonymous Big Deals. Methods – The authors define metrics at two levels (deal and journal) to evaluate Big Deal packages. The metrics rely heavily on the COUNTER JR1 metric Successful Full-Text Article Request (SFTAR). Main Results – The authors found that while 30% of journals provide 80% of SFTARs, the cost of subscribing to these journals individually would not save significant sums of money. Additionally, they speculate that library users would increase the number of interlibrary loan requests to access the 20% of SFTARs that would be inaccessible if a Big Deal was cut, amounting to increased costs. Conclusion – With no sign of publishers moving to change the price and conditions of Big Deals, these arrangements are becoming unsustainable for libraries. As this occurs, librarians require methods of assessing which deals to keep and which to cut, as well as evidence of to which individual journals they should subscribe. The authors of this paper set out one method of conducting these assessments that they have found to be useful at an academic library. They conclude by stating that even with SFTAR data, individuals must keep in mind the necessity of providing equitable access to all of a university community’s user groups.

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