Guidelines for linking to other Web sites

[Margaret F. Riley]

At 06:22 PM 2/28/97 -0800, Rfaraby wrote:

> I was assigned to research how other 
>associations/libraries make their selection of who to link to. We 
>are getting a huge number of people who would like us to add them 
>to our home page links. Needless to say some of these sites are 
>good, some are bad. Has anybody encountered this problem? How does 
>one develop objective and systematic criteria for selection of such 
>material?

I think one of the most important criteria to consider is are you
willing to recommend this resource to your users?   Now, having
said that, what are *your* criteria for recommending materials
to be added to your regular library collection?   Don't abandon the
idea of a strict "collection development" policy for your web
resource links.

Something else to consider are what sites and resource complement
your work and/or your collection, and who has created these?   As 
I frequently tell people there is a big difference between reading 
information on cancer which is posted on the web site of  a noted
medical facility and that which is obtained from someone down the
street with no verifiable authority on the subject.

Take a look at the information and ideas which Hope Tillman at
Babson College and others have published on determining quality
in web resources.   Establishing the authority of the creator/maintainer
is high in the list for all.   

Once you have gone over all of this,  I urge you to develop a written
policy for what you will and will not include in your site.  For example,
I have a Policy for Inclusion on my web site which says I will not
link to sites which are merely selling products or services.  I expect
any site linked from mine to provide good information to all visitors
at no cost. If they want to sell something beyond this, that is their
business.    I realize that if I link to it I am essentially recommending 
this site for my users, and I take that responsibility very seriously.

Margaret

Margaret F. Riley, MSLIS            **New Address**
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"The Guide to Internet Job Searching" by Margaret Riley,
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