Library subdomain names

[Michael Schofield]

Definitely,

My point is that if possible you should settle on the most intuitive URL. A user looking for  the College Library website without having the link could drum-in library.college.edu or college.edu/library with the expectation that it will resolve, but he or she will never think to try mclibrary.college.edu - unless you expect all users to know the name of the library (and what a misplaced expectation that would be).

Michael // ns4lib.com



From: Web technologies in libraries [mailto:WEB4LIB at LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Richard Wiggins
Sent: Monday, August 05, 2013 11:52 AM
To: WEB4LIB at LISTSERV.ND.EDU
Subject: Re: [WEB4LIB] Library subdomain names

Well, belaboring the obvious, but just to be clear: the word "Manhattan"  obviously conveys class.  The word "mclibrary" invites the eye to see McLibrary, which could convey another image.

Best of luck to the original poster.  I hope she will report back with the end choice.

/rich

On Mon, Aug 5, 2013 at 9:37 AM, Michael Schofield <mschofield at nova.edu<mailto:mschofield at nova.edu>> wrote:
I agree. The simplest URL is the answer, whatever you determine that might be. I prefer library.domain.edu<http://library.domain.edu> if only because the domain.edu/library/<http://domain.edu/library/> can get pretty harry with directories (i.e., we are .edu/library/main/whateverelse ), but opt for what's available. You might find that lib works, but I would avoid a domain that includes your library's name - you suggested mclibrary. Users remember big brands, and yet I've never known a user to remember the name  of the library.

Additionally, if you can take further advantage then try to grab-up the domains that a user might enter without navigating through the university site or Googling. If you go for lib.whatever.edu<http://lib.whatever.edu>, be sure to take whatever.edu/library<http://whatever.edu/library> and redirect it.

Now you have 4 cents : ).

Michael // ns4lib.com<http://ns4lib.com>

From: Web technologies in libraries [mailto:WEB4LIB at LISTSERV.ND.EDU<mailto:WEB4LIB at LISTSERV.ND.EDU>] On Behalf Of Richard Wiggins
Sent: Sunday, August 04, 2013 4:21 PM
To: WEB4LIB at LISTSERV.ND.EDU<mailto:WEB4LIB at LISTSERV.ND.EDU>
Subject: Re: [WEB4LIB] Library subdomain names

This is something that institutions of all sizes wrestle with, as they have ever since the Web era began.  When do you use subdomains?  When do you use a "folder" - virtual or real - anchored off the main site?  When do you create a new domain?  Disney screwed this up with their "go" subdomains.  CBS uses cbsnews.com<http://cbsnews.com> instead of news.cbs.com<http://news.cbs.com>.

But you folks appear to have it simple.  From a glance it appears that the major entry points at manhattan.edu<http://manhattan.edu> are manhattan.edu/topic<http://manhattan.edu/topic> - About, Admissions, Academics.  What's wrong with manhattan.edu/library<http://manhattan.edu/library> ?  Seems clean and simple.

I do believe in generous redirects based on log analysis.  I just tried http://www.cbs.com/news and it failed to give the obvious redirect.

Frankly, making your main link mclibrary.manhattan.edu<http://manhattan.edu> because of a previous choice of a proxy server strikes me as an unfortunate choice, though understandable based on history.  But is your library branded in any way as "mclibrary" ?  Not a good brand.

I'd worry more about why a search from the manhattan.edu<http://manhattan.edu> home page doesn't bring up your library at the top of the hit list, and why the library is not more prominently featured on the home page.

Just 2 cents' worth from far away.  Good luck!

/rich

On Sun, Aug 4, 2013 at 10:20 AM, Stacy Pober <stacy.pober at manhattan.edu<mailto:stacy.pober at manhattan.edu>> wrote:
As part of our web redesign, we are being given the opportunity to have our own subdomain in the college's website.

The most logical name would be "library" but that one is already being used for our EZproxy server, and it would be most onerous to change over 100,000 EZproxy links in our catalog, libguides, etc.

We've thought about some alternative subdomain names such as lib or mclibrary.  Anyone have some library subdomain naming wisdom they'd like to share?

--
Stacy Pober
Information Alchemist
Manhattan College Library
Riverdale, NY 10471
stacy.pober at manhattan.edu<mailto:stacy.pober at manhattan.edu>
============================

To unsubscribe: http://bit.ly/web4lib

Web4Lib Web Site: http://web4lib.org/

2013-08-04

============================

To unsubscribe: http://bit.ly/web4lib

Web4Lib Web Site: http://web4lib.org/

2013-08-04
============================

To unsubscribe: http://bit.ly/web4lib

Web4Lib Web Site: http://web4lib.org/

2013-08-05

============================

To unsubscribe: http://bit.ly/web4lib

Web4Lib Web Site: http://web4lib.org/

2013-08-05

============================

To unsubscribe: http://bit.ly/web4lib

Web4Lib Web Site: http://web4lib.org/

2013-08-05
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.nd.edu/pipermail/web4lib/attachments/20130805/5d594ac4/attachment.htm>