[WEB4LIB] New web site on library terminology issues

[Robert Tiess]

Sounds like a potentially useful project, John.  I appreciate your efforts.

If you don't link to it already, one site of possible interest to you is the Plain Language Action & Information Network:
http://www.plainlanguage.gov

Included at their site is a bibliography, a guide to writing "user friendly" documents, examples, and links to related resources.

Best of luck with your project,
Robert


John Kupersmith wrote:
> Here's a holiday gift for all the helpful people on Web4Lib.
> 
> It's a web site with the somewhat optimistic title "Library Terms That
> Users Understand":
> < http://www.jkup.net/terms.html >
> 
> To quote the introduction:
> "The purpose of this site is to help library web developers decide how to
> label key resources and services in such a way that most users can
> understand them well enough to make productive choices. It serves as a
> clearinghouse of usability test data evaluating terminology used on library
> web sites, listing terms that tests show are effective or ineffective
> labels. It presents alternatives by documenting terms that are actually
> used by libraries. It also suggests 'best practices' for reducing cognitive
> barriers caused by terminology."
> 
> Basically I'm launching this site in the hope that by pooling data on what
> terms work best, libraries can move beyond rhetoric and do a better job of
> labeling resources for our users.
> 
> As such, it's intended as a participatory effort.  You're invited to
> contribute:
> 
> * data from usability studies on the effectiveness of various library terms
> (especially data on terms that users *do* understand!)
> 
> * details of testing techniques that work well to elicit this kind of
> information.
> 
> * references to useful resources that I haven't cited.
> 
> Other comments and opinions are most welcome of course.  Special thanks to
> Gerry McKiernan for advice and inspiration.
> 
> --jk
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>    John Kupersmith        jkup at jkup.net        http://www.jkup.net
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>    Reference Librarian                 http://www.lib.berkeley.edu
>    Doe/Moffitt Libraries
>    University of California, Berkeley
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Not speaking for UCB in this message~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~