[WEB4LIB] Library home pages

[Andrew Mutch]

Shane,

I know this gets kicked around a lot in library land but I think the first
question you need to answer is "What is the primary purpose [or mission] of your
library home page?"

Is it serving as an information gateway [or portal] to library resources?

Is it intended to serve as a directory to information about the library?

Is it intended to establish a "presence" for the library on the WWW?

Will it try to do all 3 and more??

I think once you establish what the primary mission of the page is, the links will
become more evident.  You may discover, like a number of libraries have, that
you'll need to develop multiple "home pages" depending on which audience is
visiting.

For example, at terminals within the library, you may find that users are
primarily looking for Internet resources and you might develop a page that is more
along the lines of the web portal sites like Yahoo and Netscape Netcenter.  In
contrast, users accessing remotely might be looking primarily for access to
library resources online, like the catalog and remote databases online, and
they'll need a separate page that focuses on those resources.  Finally, you
probably find that visitors coming from the WWW or from the main University home
page are most interested in library information like hours, location, services,
etc. and a directory of information best meets their needs.  Also, this page might
be more "artsy" to make a good presentation to the university community and casual
visitors.

Most importantly, realize that you probably couldn't (and shouldn't, even if you
can) do all of these on the same page.

Andrew Mutch
Library Systems Technician
Waterford Township Public Library
Waterford, MI

Shane Nackerud wrote:

> Hello everyone--
>
>         The University of Minnesota Libraries are in the middle of a total web
> site redesign.  One question we have been grappling with is what links
> should be on the home page?  What services and research tools should
> receive the highest priority?  The catalog and indexes/databases are
> obvious choices, but what else?  We have already conducted a series of
> usability tests and focus groups so we have a better understanding of what
> our users want from a library web site.  We will also be conducting more
> tests as we go through future iterations.  However, we are interested in
> what other colleges or universities have found through similar evaluation
> techniques or server log statistics.  What do your students want on your
> library's home page?  What links or pages get hit the most on your
> library's web site?  What do students expect to find quickly on your site's
> home page?  Any help would be greatly appreciated!
>
> Shane
>
> *******************************************************
> Shane Nackerud
> Web Services Coordinator
> University of Minnesota Libraries
> 180 Wilson Library
> Minneapolis, MN 55455
> (612) 625-7880