[Web4lib] Academic library website design v. campus design

[Michelle Watson]

We have reproduced the University's look and feel in our Classic catalogue - see http://library.deakin.edu.au/, but changed the links so they relate to the catalogue.

We have done significant usability testing and found that a consistent interface with links in the same spot improves navigability - e.g. students and staff are used to having links on the left hand side, so that is where they look. A similar look and feel also helps them know they are still within the Deakin site. Administration-wise it makes things easier to take on the university design - coding and styling has to be tweaked a bit as the catalogue is on a different server, but it means the library doesn't have to worry about designing, creating, then testing their own design. 

Cheers,
Michelle. 


-----Original Message-----
From: web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org [mailto:web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Elisabeth Long
Sent: Thursday, 17 June 2010 3:03 AM
To: web4lib at webjunction.org
Subject: [Web4lib] Academic library website design v. campus design

>
>
> Message: 4
> Date: Wed, 16 Jun 2010 09:07:18 -0500
> From: "nancy" <nancy at thesmudge.com>
> Subject: [Web4lib] Academic library website design v. campus design
> To: <web4lib at webjunction.org>
> Message-ID: <000001cb0d5d$3bfae890$b3f0b9b0$@com>
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>
> Is there a trend toward or away from academic library websites including
> the
> parent institution's navigation links and menus?
>
>
> The most successful I have seen are ones where rather than using the full
navigation bar of the university, there is a thin, simplified bar at the top
that provides institutional context and links back to the main university
pages.  This accomplishes university consistency without getting too
confusing.

See for example
http://libraries.iub.edu/ which uses a simple maroon bar with the IU
Bloomington logo to link back to the university pages.

or
http://www.lib.umn.edu/  which greys out the color of the univ link so it
doesn't compete.  this one also does include some of the navigation but
rendered as plain text links (even the search) so it, again, doesn't compete
with the main focus being the library page's functionality.
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