Library Websites that think locally

[Donald Barclay]

I'm writing a book chapter on distance education in academic libraries. One
of my points is the fairly obvious notion that an academic library Web site
should serve remote students as well as those who are close by.

In the how-to-not-do-it vein, I'm trying to think of Web-site blunders that
indicate a library is thinking only of the local (often just the on-campus)
population instead of students who may be far away and who rarely, if ever,
visit the campus. The examples I've come up with include:


--Phone numbers are given in formats such as "Ext. 1745" (which is great if
you happen to be using a campus phone).

--Library forms for such things as obtaining a library card or requesting an
ILL are either not available on the Web site or must be printed out and
mailed in (rather than being filled out and submitted online).

--Web site visitors are informed that they can pick up library in-house
publications at the reference desk but are not offered to option of
accessing the full-text of those publications online.

--The street address and/or geographical location of the library are not
given or are hard to find.

--Key acronyms are used (often repeatedly) but are never spelled out: "The
E.R.C. Collection is located on the third floor of the S.V.R."

--The name of the library is given, but the institution with which it is
affiliated is not specified: "Jones Library proudly serves the University
community."

--To obtain remote-access to the library’s electronic resources, students
must first come to the library.

--Links that allow Web site visitors to contact the library via email are
scarce or entirely absent.

Can members of Web4Lib suggest other Web site blunders that short change
remote students? Do the ones I have listed above make sense?

Donald A. Barclay
Assistant Director for Systems and Informatics
Houston Academy of Medicine--
Texas Medical Center Library
dbarclay at library.tmc.edu <mailto:dbarclay at library.tmc.edu>
713.799.7120

always the beautiful answer
who asks a more beautiful question
                 --e.e. cummings