Each summer we review the Library’s home page, and underlying structure of the web site, to see if there are any outstanding issues and/or to see if it could be improved in any way.

After our major overhaul last summer, and after comparing the site recently to the recommendations in a recent article in College and Research Libraries (1) it is my opinion that the home page has functioned very well this year, and doesn’t need a lot of change. One change I would like to suggest is to add Reserve/Restricted Loans Items to the drop down “How do I find” box.

However, I am very interested to hear from the rest of Library staff how they have found the new home page this year, how it works for staff and users on the public desks, and any suggestions for changes or improvements.

I look forward to your comments. If it becomes apparent that there is a need for an overhaul of any sort, I’ll set up some formal meetings.

Catherine Jane

1)Author(s): Duncan, J (Duncan, Jennifer); Holliday, W (Holliday, Wendy)
Title: The role of information architecture in designing a third-generation library Web site
Source: COLLEGE & RESEARCH LIBRARIES, 69 (4): 301-318 JUL 2008