Planning and Assessing Patron Experience and Needs for an Academic Library Website

Library Website Design and Development: Trends and Best Practices is a how-to guide written specifically for librarians and library technologists who are designing or redesigning their library website. Whether in academic, public, or special libraries, library websites are created as a service to users – a digital branch of the physical library where users can find and access the information they require. As such, library website designers grapple with meeting library-specific needs and concerns while also designing a website that looks modern and on trend. This book provides library website designers with foundational knowledge of the standards and best practices that apply to all websites, but also delves into the current trends of modern library websites specifically. Outlining the process of creating a well-organized, accessible, and user-friendly website for library users, the book starts with needs assessment and content organization, continues through site navigation and user experience design, and closes with a look at website analytics and the process of ongoing maintenance and assessment. Library Website Design and Development: Trends and Best Practices provides practicing web librarians with an inclusive step-by-step guide to all of the topics inherent in the website design and development process, while also taking a focused look at the unique needs of library websites. Each chapter in this book covers the foundational knowledge needed for an aspect of website design and is supplemented by a list of additional resources that go into further depth on each topic.

In the early 1990s, numerous academic libraries adopted the web as a communication tool with users. The literature on academic library websites includes research on both design and navigation. Early studies typically focused on design characteristics, since websites initially merely provided information on the services and collections available in the university's physical library. Beginning in the late 1990s, technological developments coupled with new digitization efforts offered new opportunities for websites with commercial and local databases, electronic journals, e-books, and virtual reference. The availability of new content and services on library websites facilitated research efforts comparing these features among academic library websites. During this period, articles also emerged that considered navigation and usability issues for these pages. The literature on academic library web pages documents efforts by libraries to use web technologies and resources to serve user groups. However, the research also suggests these efforts were hindered by design and navigation issues with academic library web pages. It remains especially important that libraries consider design in the development of their web pages to maximize usage of content.

This paper describes the results of a nationwide study which examined the design, layout, content, site management, and usability of 1,469 academic and public library websites from all 50 states in the United States. Our findings show common trends for homepage design, navigation, and information architecture. Library websites were found to consistently provide information about hours of operation (97.9 percent), library address (91 percent), news and events (88.9 percent), access to OPACs (84.6 percent), online renewal (77.7 percent), contact information (72.5 percent), and ability to give feedback (74.2 percent). Websites were mainly designed (33 percent) and managed (50 percent) by librarians as part of their professional job duties and the majority did not conduct any web usability testing (72.3 percent). This study provides a profile of how the nation’s academic and public libraries design and manage their websites and how this compares to recommended best practices from the research literature. Library websites rated high in general usability based on recognized heuristics; however, a need to conduct usability evaluations remains. A basic set of guidelines for library webpage design is proposed.

The digital revolution has had a particular impact on the functioning of libraries: it has changed both the means of communicating with the users, and the nature of the service itself. In the case of academic libraries, an online presence is crucial due to the increased rate of Internet usage among their stakeholders, academics and students alike. From their perspective, library websites serve as digital gates to library services and resources. However, an academic library website may fulfil a wide array of functions and their importance can be variously prioritized. The purpose of our research was to find out which functions of academic library websites are viewed as the most important by a selected group of users: the students. To answer this question, we identified the main functions of academic library websites on the basis of desk research and designed a survey conducted among students of the University of Warsaw (Poland) and Vilnius University (Lithuania) ( n=680). The picture of users’ information needs with regard to content of the academic library website revealed by our research allows us to draw conclusions about the functions of the academic library website distinctive from those already mentioned in the subject literature. From the perspective of a user-centric approach we distinguished five functions of the academic library website: (1) supporting the usage of the collection (online and traditional); (2) promotion of culture; (3) gateway for locating information on the Web; (4) education; (5) creation of library’s online image.

With the growing size of academic library Web sites, constant updating, authentication issues, and organization are increasingly difficult for libraries to maintain user-friendly sites. This usability study examines how students use electronic research libraries such as Questia, which has been designed to replace traditional libraries and compare it with large university library Web sites. Students were asked to perform tasks at two electronic research library sites and then at two large university library Web sites. Major implications of this study are that design features incorporated by Web site designers can drastically affect the success of students doing research.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the mediating role different information sources (or cues) play in forming users' mental representation of a work in an academic library setting. Of particular interest is discerning how these information sources influence borrowing decisions.Design/methodology/approachA large‐scale user survey featuring two‐part questionnaires was utilized in an academic library setting. The questionnaires were designed to ascertain those information sources exerting a formative influence on users' information‐seeking behavior, especially the routes by which users came to know of a title and the sources by which they infer its content.FindingsEvidently users adaptively make use of a variety of cues to help them fulfil their information needs. These cues significantly reduced the uncertainty faced by users making a borrowing decision, even after their sense of domain familiarity was controlled for. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of the findings for library services. It is suggested that libraries could provide a more “cue‐rich” environment that supports users' decision making and facilitates exploration of their collection.Originality/valueThe research questions were framed in the language of decision‐making theory, which, as the research demonstrates, sheds light on the dynamics between “cue validity” and judgment uncertainty. It also demonstrates the applicability of the “accuracy‐cost” framework in the study of human information‐seeking behavior.

Academic Library Leadership in Nigeria and ICT Adoption

PurposeThe aim of this case study is to present one library's experiences consulting with a usability expert during the design and implementation phases of a new academic library website and the lessons learned during the process.Design/methodology/approachThe library staff worked with the consultant so that he understood the work of the librarians and goals for the website. Together the consultant and library staff developed a series of tests to measure the usability of the site. The librarians implemented the tests, gradually taking the leadership role in the process.FindingsThe study confirms the value of usability testing as a tool to bring to light some of the ambiguities and complexities of a library website for users. The study demonstrates that librarians have developed an expertise and knowledge base that transfers well to the evaluation of websites and online resources. The experience of the University of Michigan AAE Library reveals that usability testing should be an ongoing exercise so that the website remains relevant to the users.Practical implicationsThis study advises librarians of the value of testing and that, on the one hand, test results confirm what one imagines about the users' experiences, but on the other hand they reveal the unexpected strategies and understandings of the users.Originality/valueThis case study provides a useful example of the value of working with a usability expert, a discussion of what to expect during the process, and advice about the role of the librarian in such an endeavor.

Student experience in academic libraries: analysis of intellectual structure and opportunities for future research

ABSTRACTProviding electronic resources for alumni requires careful consideration of a number of legal, technical, financial, and administrative questions by academic libraries. Our review of 115 library websites, including 114 academic library members of the Association of Research Libraries along with Stanford University, reveals in large part what is being made available to alumni and how the information is organized, but also raises more questions for investigation.

Academic Library Web Sites: Current Practice and Future Directions

The transition to a new architecture and design for an academic library Web site does not always proceed smoothly. In this case study, a library at a large research university hired an outside Web development contractor to create a new architecture and design for the university's Web site using dotCMS, an open-source content management system. The library participated in the design and development process along with other campus units. Because the university-wide process focused on marketing the university to prospective students, parents, and donors, the contractor's fact-finding process focused on how the library's site design could incorporate Web 2.0 technologies. The resulting library Web site showcased Web 2.0 technology more than it provided users with access to library resources. The library's users quickly communicated their dissatisfaction and confusion, which led to some immediate changes and a commitment to redesign the site based on expressed and demonstrated user needs. The library then hired another contractor to conduct iterative usability testing on both the new site and prototypes for a redesigned version. The testing showed that Web 2.0 technology that does not meet existing user needs creates obstacles for both novice and experienced users. In collaboration with the university's information technology unit, the library developed and launched a revised Web site, which helped users connect to the resources they needed. In the upgrade, Google Search Appliance replaced the native dotCMS search functionality. The authors of this case study demonstrate that libraries may need to advocate for different Web design priorities than those used at the university-wide level and that working with outside contractors presents different challenges and opportunities depending on the contractor's hiring unit. These experiences also demonstrate that libraries can do a better job learning about their users when they lead the fact-finding process. Following these experiences, the library committed to conducting iterative usability testing on a regular basis.

Purpose This study aims to systematically review the published literature on the topic of academic library website usability evaluation. It determines the most significant subattributes in the usability evaluation of academic library websites. The study also looks at the metrics that have been used to evaluate the usability of academic library websites. Then, it identifies the most significant usability evaluation method (UEM) that has been discussed in the literature. Lastly, it identifies the research gaps in the literature regarding the proposed approaches to usability evaluation of academic library websites. Design/methodology/approach In this systematic literature review (SLR), the research conducted in the area of usability evaluation of academic library websites from 1995 to 2023 was reviewed. Findings The results of this study disclose that “effectiveness” is the most significant usability subattribute in the context of usability evaluation of academic library websites. Furthermore, “user testing” is the most significant UEM that has been applied in most of the primary studies. Some of the metrics used for the measurement of effectiveness were user preference, error rate and number of correct answers. Similarly, some of the metrics used, for efficiency, were response time, click count, time on task, logical information architecture and efficient information retrieval and so on. The common research gap in the reviewed literature is a lack of a generalized framework applicable to any academic library website for its usability evaluation. Practical implications This study is useful for library website developers to better understand the required features of a library website. Originality/value This is the first SLR on the topic of academic libraries’ website usability evaluation.

Having a library Web site that users feel comfortable and confident navigating is as important as having your library's front door visible, unobstructed, and unlocked while you are open to serve your patrons. This paper presents a unique study on the usability and functionality of one library's Web site. The study offers the participants a side-by-side comparison of the previous design and the current design in order to determine if the changes that were made as a result of an initial survey benefited users. Participants were asked to answer a series of questions in both the previous and current library Web sites. Their responses helped gauge the functionality and usability of the library's Web site.

ABSTRACTThis study examines several key design elements of 37 academic library Web sites (members of the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries) and how they have changed between 2012 and 2015. While several studies have reviewed library Web sites looking for common design elements and content, the present work may be the first to look at the design elements of a large group of library Web sites over time. This study has two main goals: to present an objective analysis of the navigation and search interface designs at research university library Web sites, and to assess the usage of Web-scale discovery systems and content management systems in libraries. Other areas explored include when sites were most recently redesigned and whether sites have adopted a mobile-friendly, responsive design. Notable findings include a very high usage of Web-scale discovery systems, an increasing adoption of open source content management systems, and increasing implementation of responsive design. Also noted was a strong and growing standardization in navigation design. This study concludes with a review of the trends and discussion of current design patterns in academic library Web sites.