- Students
- Faculty/Staff
- Researchers
A large portion of users will be seeking books and other materials to check out. Clearly, a search function for the library's catalog needs to be featured prominently on the main page; related offerings like journals and databases can easily be incorporated into the same search area.
What else might users be seeking? What other services may visitors expect to find linked from the main page?
- Library hours and contact information
- Coming events
- Reference information
- Research guides
- Course reserves
- Interlibrary Loan
- Special Collections/Archives
Consider also the audience's skills and level of internet savvy.
If you use complex visuals or flashy interfaces, are certain portions of your audience going to understand how to use and navigate them? If visitors are using outdated software or older browsers, will they be able to view the site properly? Make no assumptions that what you see is the same thing other users see, or that they will understand it in the same way that you do. You will likely find it necessary to discover a balance between what looks good and works well, and what your audience will be able to handle.
While you can make some generalizations about your target audience groups and their needs, it is crucial to realize that individual visitors come with specific and varying demands. Keep an open mind about their expectations when planning the library website.
Back when I took Information Architecture, we did a couple of projects where we had to write critiques of library websites and/or "remake" them. Even the best library sites (NYPL, for example) could have benefited from reorganization. Patrons are just going to get frustrated if they can't find their way around a site; it really is important to keep things simple so everyone stays on board.
ReplyDeleteI think you have a great topic here! I'm always interested to hear about different ways library and information pros are re-thinking and re-creating their services to make them more accessible to their patrons. If patrons can't easily find the information they are looking for, they will soon consider our services irrelevant.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to have to write a review of a library website this weekend for my Information Architecture class, so this is speaking right to me right now, haha! I think what makes it so difficult to design a library site is the great diversity in users. It is conceivable that anyone from a tech-savvy child to an adult with little experience using the internet would visit the library site, so the site has to be accessible to all kinds of people with varying levels of comfort of navigating the information. A tough job for sure! A web designer's work is never done.
ReplyDeleteYou're absolutely right! The need to find the right balance in features and clarity cannot be overstated.
DeleteIt is essential when designing a website to keep your user-base in mind. I think it's easy to forget about users when we get caught up in the technical nature of web design. Keeping the users in mind when designing a site can only help the site get better.
ReplyDeleteOne feature I always felt was underutilized in library websites is a library map. Especially in large libraries such as those in universitys on main branches or urban areas. This is something I've always enjoyed about the Odum library on campus, the detailed map they have for every floor. What is your opinion on this?
ReplyDeleteA well-detailed map or diagram is always worthwhile, especially for a large, multistory, or otherwise complex library. I haven't thought to actively look for these on library websites, but I agree that they should be included -- they can easily be incorporated into the pages or areas dedicated to hours, location, contact information, and the like.
DeleteMy library just recently redesigned our website. One thing we realized was that we had a lot of useless information on it. We were trying to cater to the public visiting our website and realized we had to focus on who our audience was (students, faculty, & staff).
ReplyDelete