Library subdomain names

Mon Aug 5 13:07:27 EDT 2013

I agree that intuitive URLs should be the norm, but this brings up an
interesting question: Does any user on earth still try to find a website by
guessing at the URL, or do they just search for it? The pattern I see in
usability tests (where the first question is invariably "Go to the
library's home page") is that they put the institution's name in the
address bar and navigate to the library, or they search for "UNLV library".
I've never seen a user (outside of library employees) enter the library
URL.

It would be interesting to research whether human-readable URLs are as
important as they once were. I know they are FOR ME, but I have no idea if
they are for our users.

-Michael Yunkin
Web Content Manager/Usability Specialist
UNLV Libraries
Las Vegas, NV

From:	Michael Schofield <mschofield at NOVA.EDU>
To:	WEB4LIB at LISTSERV.ND.EDU
Date:	08/05/2013 09:35 AM
Subject:	Re: [WEB4LIB] Library subdomain names
Sent by:	Web technologies in libraries <WEB4LIB at LISTSERV.ND.EDU>

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 mc
library.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>
wrote:
I agree. The simplest URL is the answer, whatever you determine that might
be. I prefer library.domain.edu if only because the 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, be sure to take
whatever.edu/library and redirect it.

Now you have 4 cents : ).

Michael // ns4lib.com

From: Web technologies in libraries [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
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 instead of news.cbs.com.

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