info on library websites

[Karen G. Schneider]

Related to the discussion of library information on websites, for an HCI
class last fall I did an assessment of 55 websites for community networks
(some library-sponsored) and found that key information was missing on most
of them (I have a URL buried somewhere for an html version of this paper if
anyone is that interested).   That was just the beginning; from a usability
perspective, the problems went on and on... interestingly, the size of the
site didn't necessarily relate to the effectiveness, at least by the
standards I was applying.  Aside from the paper, my informal conclusion is
these sites are often designed without considering the end-user or deciding
what the purpose of the resource is.

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Karen G. Schneider * kgs at bluehighways.com * http://www.bluehighways.com/
Cybrarian * Columnist, American Libraries
Author, The Internet Access Cookbook (e-mail Neal-Schuman at icm.com)
These opinions strictly mine and those of Blue Highways