Library Webmaster Best Practices: Improving Database Access
Library WebMaster Best Practices: Improving database access
10 Attributes of Well-Designed Online Resource Websites
Tens of thousands of libraries have created web pages to service library users. Some websites work better than others in terms of providing clear and easy access to the library's subscription databases. Because NewsBank is in contact with many libraries, we decided to identify what seems to be working best. This document assembles best practices for page design and shares them with you.
The following suggestions come from the best practices of actual libraries. The practices and needs assessment were gathered in three methods: 1) Phone interviews and site visits with librarians in public libraries, schools, special libraries, and college libraries across the country during the past 9 months. 2) Observation and study of more than 200 library websites to see what works. 3) An online survey conducted in October 2003, with approximately 100 K-12 librarians participating.
1. Create a dedicated page for your Online Resources.
Your subscription databases are valuable resources. Most, if not all, provide access to accurate information not available on the free web. Assemble your paid subscription products on an Online Resources page. Also, make sure this page is more prominent than your page(s) of free web links. See item 2.
2. Make sure the link to your Online Resources page is prominent.
Most libraries and schools have a home page with a link to Online Resources. Make this link prominent. Don’t bury the link in a pull-down menu, or label it something that is a catchy phrase, but obscure in meaning. Frequently used labels include: Online Resources, Online Reference, Research Tools, Databases, and Subscription Databases.
· Do: Put a clear link to Online Resources on your home page. Present both a word link and a graphical link to appeal to different types of learners. Make the page one click away from the home page.
· Do: Set this Online Resources page as the default home page on your library’s patron workstations.
· Public Libraries: consider making your home page your Online Resource page so patrons find it immediately!
3. Make the Online Resources page easy to find on the library’s computers.
Libraries employ different methods to manage computer use and access to resources. Some have dedicated computers for OPAC, Online Resources, self-checkout, and Internet access (email and web surfing). Other libraries use all computers for all purposes. No matter your methodology, it’s important to remove all obstacles for the unfamiliar user. Label the computer’s purpose clearly. If passwords are needed for access or exiting certain menus, provide them right at the workstation. Depending on how you authenticate access to paid resources (IP, referring URL, barcode, username, etc.), be sure to set the Online Resources page as the home page for your web browser. If needed, bookmark the page as a “favorite.” Consider the computer the front door to your Online Resources and make it as easy as possible for all to enter.
4. Title each resource in a meaningful way.
List "household name" resources by the title users are going to recognize. For example, list newspapers by their actual name, i.e. “Arizona Republic” or “The Washington Post.” List an encyclopedia by its recognizable title. Often you have one or more aggregated database from a provider such as NewsBank, EBSCO, Gale, or ProQuest. List each as the collection name rather than by the vendor’s name. This will help the researcher distinguish what the content is. For example: “Noticias en Espanol” or “Noticias en Espanol from NewsBank.” List the collection’s name first, and if you want to list the vendor’s name, list it second as just noted, or in parentheses, as in “Public Library Collection (NewsBank).”
5. Provide appealing descriptions of each resource.
Patrons, students, and professional researchers need to immediately grasp what information they’ll access by clicking any resource title. A short appealing description will direct them.
· Do: Keep descriptions short: 25 words are good; 15 words are better!
· Do: Use everyday language; avoid jargon.
· Do: Ask your vendor for a description. Then edit and shorten it to what is meaningful to patrons.
· Do: Provide date ranges for the data when relevant. Example: “1992 to current.”
6. Display your paid resources before the free resources.
Similar to shopping behavior in the grocery store, researchers will be drawn to the items or resources placed in plain view. Since you want to get the most for your subscription dollars, make sure your paid subscriptions databases are "advertised" more prominently than lists of web links that you've assembled. It’s terrific to provide web links to quality websites, web directories, and search engines, but group these below the resources you are paying for.
· Do: Provide access instructions for remote users.
7. Consolidate Online Resources on as few pages as possible.
Design your web page so that as many resources as possible are visible in the first screen. If you group resources within categories, position the high-interest categories near the top of the page. Avoid making the researcher click through many levels and layers to reach the resources.
· Do: Make type large enough for easy reading, but huge type only eats up space.
· Don’t: Index the resources so finely that many patrons can’t locate them.
8. Categorize Online Resources in groups that will appeal to users.
Consider your user groups and their research interests when laying out your Online Resources page. If you have a lot of resources, consider grouping them rather than list them alphabetically. Consider four to six categories to help users find the resource they need.
· Do: Consider groups by interest (Biographies, Business, Health, Newspapers, Magazines, Phone Directory)
· Do: Consider groups by type of media: (Newspapers, Encyclopedias & Dictionaries, Magazines and General Research, Web Sites, Web Search Engines).
· Do: Consider groups by broad topic (Science, Health, News, Business, General Interest, General Reference).
· Don’t: create groups based on vendors (patrons don’t know what vendors are known for).
· Don’t: create too many groups because patrons won’t know what to find in which category.
· Do: Feel free to list a resource twice or more in multiple categories, when appropriate.
9. Consider a 2- or 3-column page to display resources in a single visible screen
If you have more than a dozen resources and use descriptions, consider formatting the web page into two or three columns, akin to a newsletter layout. Keep the resource descriptions brief, so the researcher can quickly review and grasp what’s available at a glance. The layout should require only one or two page downs to view.
10. Consider showcasing your most appealing resources.
In addition to a home page link to the Online Resources page, select one or two subscription resources and place them as links on your home page to showcase them individually. Which resources are of high interest? All libraries might link to the community's local newspaper database. Public libraries might also link to a business, genealogy, or children’s database. Schools might link to a general research, science, or biography resource. Link to the location on the Online Resources page where the showcased resource appears. That way, the patron will be exposed to not only the highlighted resource, but to all your paid subscriptions.
03-8-04 1