Library website content benchmarks, best practices?

[Randy Norwood]

Does anyone know of any reasonably authoritative studies or standards for
*content* best practices for academic research library websites (especially
those serving many undergraduates)?

I'm not referring to usability, design or information architecture, although
those are certainly important. Rather, are there generally accepted
guidelines or heuristic/expert checklists for the types of content, features
and services that should be present on the library's website, its web OPAC,
and its web "gateways" to online databases, journals, etc.

For example, many libraries provide guides to help students quickly find the
appropriate databases to use, or provide descriptions of each database to
help the student decide whether to use this one or that one. These features
are very helpful, especially to undergrads, but they require a fair amount
of human effort as well.

Some other examples would be OPAC support for bibliographic software, online
reference services, ability to manage online one's loans, hold/recall
requests, ILL requests, etc.

I'm trying to identify, as objectively as possible, where the
content/coverage of my library's website can be improved, in order to make a
case to library admin for devoting more resources to areas that need more
attention.

-- 
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Randy Norwood
Web  Manager
Texas Tech University Libraries
Office: 806-742-2238  x236
Fax: 806-742-8669
E-mail: randy.norwood at ttu.edu