[WEB4LIB] Decision tree for Web resources

[Pons, Lisa (ponslm)]

Are you asking about information architecture? One of the best books is
"Information Architecture for the World Wide Web".

We had six months to re-design our site a few years ago, and spent 3 of that
on the architecture. It was worth it, as we have added things without major
changes.

Our architecture was "role" based- though now I think we could have been a
little more "task" oriented. 

Lisa Pons-Haitz

Webmaster
University Libraries
University of Cincinnati
lisa.pons at uc.edu
(513)556-1431

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jim Campbell [mailto:campbell at virginia.edu]
> Sent: Wednesday, March 16, 2005 10:45 AM
> To: Multiple recipients of list
> Subject: [WEB4LIB] Decision tree for Web resources
> 
> 
> We offer users a lot of information and a lot of paths to 
> that information.
> Both are a good thing and both can sometimes get in the way 
> of actually
> finding the specific information a user needs. Adding an Open 
> URL resolver
> and working on metasearch should have simplified things a 
> bit, but at least
> for now more options have just created even more confusion 
> for both staff
> and users.  We need some hierararchy that can establish what the best
> approach is for a given need.
> 
> I've seen/heard of various attempts at reader's advisors, 
> asking questions
> to narrow down a user's options, but off hand I can't 
> remember where or what
> they are. Can anyone suggest good examples of this sort of 
> thing? Perhaps
> more importantly, if they're out there do people actually use them?
> 
>  
> - Jim Campbell
>  
> Digital Access Coordinator and
> Librarian for German
> University of Virginia Library
> Voice: 434-924-4985
> E-Mail: Campbell at Virginia.Edu
>  
> "Pessimismo dell'intelligenza, ottimismo della volontà. "
> (Pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will.)
>    - Antonio Gramsci.  Quaderni dal carcere. 
> 
> 
>