[Web4lib] Library website design standards

[David Kane]

Hi Vasantha,

Are you talking about standards for an online catalogue, or some kind of a
digital library.  In these cases, there may be choices about which metadata
you display on a web page, but definitely no standards.

With respect to the web in general, there certainly are standards and
guidelines.

1) Web Standards
Simple, semantic and properly formed HTML
Separate style from Content (using CSS)
see: http://www.webstandards.org/

2) Accessibility/Usability Guidelines
If you adhere to web standards, you are most of the way to adhering to
accessibility guidelines.
There are some online tools to help you check the validity of your site.
see: http://www.w3.org/QA/Tools/

Krug's book, 'Don't Make Me Think' is indeed an excellent volume.  His book
gives advice on how to improve usability.  A site is usable if people can
find information quickly on it, or complete a task easily, under optimal
conditions.  If the site is usable under sub-optimal conditions* then the
site can be considered to be accessible.

Governments in many countries have laws** that require minimum standards of
Accessibilility for the websites of publicly funded organisations.

David.

* Narrow bandwidth, small screen or novel web-enabled devices,
physical/cognitive disabilities such as blindness/dyslexia.
** http://www.webaim.org/articles/laws/world/europe.php


2008/10/21 Vasanth N <vasanthrz at gmail.com>

> Dear Sir/Madam,
>
> Could you let me know if any of the academic library website content
> and design standard exist ?
> Please
>
> --
> Your Sincerely
> Vasantha Raju N
>
>
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-- 
David Kane
Systems Librarian
Waterford Institute of Technology
http://library.wit.ie/
T: ++353.51302838
M: ++353.876693212