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Casey Fox
INSC 574
Assignment 3
Spring 2015
Visit at least five public library websites to see how visible adult services are. All the library websites should have reasonably visible adult services. Justify why you selected a particular library website for this assignment. How close is this information to the library's home page. How attractive and useful is the adult services page? Which adult services are available? Were any of these innovative? Would this content attract the adult user? How might this aspect of the website be improved? For these questions, refer individually to each library website. (at least 1500 words).
This report evaluates the websites of public library systems across the country to assess each site’s presentation of its library’s adult services and programs. As many aspects of individuals’ lives (both recreational and professional) become increasingly Internet-centered, a library’s website is at the front line when it comes to shaping users’ impressions of that library (Breeding, 2004). This project, in fact, is a prime example of this phenomenon, as the author will use only a library’s website in her evaluation of its adult services and the promotion thereof.
The libraries chosen for this project are located across the United States, but all serve counties of roughly the same population with roughly the same number of branch libraries. Population estimates are all from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2013 population estimate, searchable at American Fact Finder (http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml). Evaluated library systems are:
§ The Knox County Public Library, Tennessee
§ The Sonoma County Library, California
§ The Allen County Public Library, Indiana
§ The Genesee District Library, Michigan
§ The York County Public Library, Pennsylvania
Just like a successful library, a successful library website should match its offerings to the needs of its users. It should also be efficient, flexible and easy to navigate (Jasek, 2007). A 2006 study found that usability is by far the most important criterion for users evaluating digital libraries and their websites (Xie, 2006). With regard to adult services, this means that a user who visits a library website seeking information about programs and services should be able to find it quickly and easily, and that it should be presented in a clear and informative manner. For this report, the author will utilize the following criteria when evaluating each website:
§ Proximity to and ease of location from the library home page
§ Presentation of information: level of attractiveness and usefulness
§ Variety and quality of adult services available
§ Appeal of content to the intended audience
When appropriate, the author will also make suggestions for improvement in any of these categories.
Knox County Public Library, Tennessee
County population: 444,622
Percentage of population age 20 years or older: 79.1%
County seat: Knoxville
Number of library locations: 18
Library website: http://www.knoxlib.org/
Figure 01: Knox County Public Library Website Home Page
Nearly 80% of Knox County residents are over the age of 19 years, suggesting that the adult audience is an important one for the Knox County Public Library (KCPL) (Knoxville Metropolitan Planning Council, 2015). Evaluating KCPL’s website will help indicate what the Library views as the needs of this population.
Proximity to and ease of location from the library home page
The front page of www.knoxlib.org (Figure 1) features six main categories for navigation: Explore the Collection, Calendar & Programs, About, Local & Family History, Kid Zone and Teen Central. While Kid Zone and Teen Central are clearly aimed at particular audiences, there is no clear path to a comprehensive adult services section. One may infer that anything not in the teen and child category is adult services, but this is not made explicit. Upon scrolling down, there are additional categories for navigation under the headings “News and noteworthy”, “Popular” and “Upcoming Events” (Figure 2). There is still no single link dedicated to adult services.
Figure 2: Knox County Public Library Home Page, Continued
Rather than an all-encompassing page for adult services, KCPL arranges these services by type. Clicking on “Calendar & Programs” will take a user to a page that includes all KCPL programs, not just those for adults. It is possible to filter programs by type and location, but while children’s and teen programs are again their own categories, adult programs are not (figure 3).
Figure 3: Knox County Public Library Event Filters
If the user returns to the home page and chooses “Explore the Collection”, he or she will be taken to a page with the following categories:
§ E-Media
§ New at the Library
§ Local and Family History
§ Encyclopedias, Magazines and Newspapers
§ Subject Guides
§ Databases A-Z
§ Kid Zone
§ Teen Central
Again, there are separate categories for children’s and teen services, so it is incumbent on the user to infer that everything else is meant for adults.
After further searching, additional adult services may be found via the front page by clicking the “About” button, followed by the “Services” button on the left-hand navigation bar on the About page.
Presentation of information: level of attractiveness and usefulness
KCPL’s website is attractive and appears to be easily navigable. The color scheme is pleasant and the different sections on each page appear tidy and organized. Upon further exploration, however, its structure is not as consistent as it could be; specifically the apparent arrangement of information as children’s, teen, and everything else. In Evaluation of digital libraries: Criteria and problems from users' perspectives, Xie writes that “navigation efficiency is another key criterion for interface usability. Being intuitive is the basic requirement for navigation” (Xie, 2006). The muddled navigation of KCPL’s website contributes to a less efficient experience for the user.
Variety and quality of adult services available and appeal to intended audience
Although they are not collected in a single area on the website, KCPL’s offerings for adults cover a broad range of services and programs. Once the user filters out children’s and teen programs on the “Calendar & Programs” page, a wide variety of events for adults remain. These include book clubs, play readings, lectures, computer workshops, genealogy classes, a Scrabble club, knitting groups and a songwriter’s group.
In addition to events and programs, KCPL offers many services of use to adults. The “Explore the Collection” section of the website informs the user that KCPL provides access to downloadable ebooks and audiobooks, streaming video, nearly 75 databases and local archives. Other services, located on the “Services” page in the “About” section, include homebound and disability services, interlibrary loan, Internet and computer access and reference help (either online, over the phone or in person).
The wide range of KCPL’s adult programs and services suggests broad appeal to the intended audience. Though KCPL does not explicitly call them “senior services”, services such as Books for the Homebound and an extensive audiobook collection are among the American Library Association’s recommended ways to serve older adults (American Library Association, 2010). Additionally, the ALA suggests book discussion groups and computer classes as important adult services, which KCPL provides to its patrons (American Library Association, 2015).
Sonoma County Library, California
County population: 495,025
Percentage of population age 20 years or older: 75.8%
County seat: Santa Rosa
Number of library locations: 16
Library website: http://sonomalibrary.org/
Figure 4: Sonoma County Library Home Page
Proximity to and ease of location from the library home page
The front page of the Sonoma County Library’s (SCL) website is laid out in a similar manner to KCPL’s. At the top it features several comparable navigation headings, including “Events”, “Hours & Locations”, “Kids” and “Teens” (see Figure 4). There is no obvious dedicated adult services page, and as with KCPL, the user is meant to infer that if something does not state it is for children or teens, it must be for adults. Unlike KCPL, however, each of these choices is a drop-down menu rather than a button, which streamlines navigation for the user. Hovering the cursor over the “Books & More” heading brings up a menu that includes reader’s advisory services, book clubs and information about SCL’s adult literacy program. The “Research” heading brings up menus for the uncommon phrase “premium research sources”, which upon examination one can discover that this is SCL’s term for databases to which they subscribe. User-centered websites should avoid professional jargon, and this may be an instance where best practices were not used (Jasek, 2007).
Events and programs are reachable via SCL’s front page as well, and users may filter them by audience (see figure 5). Audience choices are adults, teens, school-age children and preschool children.
Figure 5: Sonoma County Library Event Filters
Although there is no clear section devoted to adult services, SCL’s use of drop-down menus ensures that most of the site’s content is reachable from the front page, eliminating the need for users to click through multiple pages in search of the information they need.
Presentation of information: level of attractiveness and usefulness
SCL’s website is attractive, professional-looking and calm – it features a slow-fading slide show and muted colors. The font it utilizes is thin and rather small, however, and could possibly prove difficult for some patrons to read (see Figure 6). The use of drop-down menus adds to the usefulness and ease of navigability. It also integrates Google Translate and users may translate pages into the language of their choice via a button at the top of each page.
Figure 6: Sonoma County Library Website Font
Variety and quality of adult services available and appeal to intended audience
Filtering SCL’s event calendar by audience reveals a full slate of programs aimed toward adults. These include free tax assistance, gardening workshops, computer and Internet classes, book discussions, author talks, readers’ theatre and live music. Computer classes display a lack of variety, as they are limited to beginning Internet and computer introduction. Increasing the kinds of classes would provide more learning opportunities for SCL’s patrons. Additionally, while it is possible for users to filter programs for adults in general, there is no filter for services dedicated to older adults, specifically. As 29.2% of Sonoma County’s residents are more than 55 years old, this may be an area where SPL’s website can be improved (United States Census Bureau, 2015).
Allen County Public Library, Indiana
County population: 424,122
Percentage of population age 20 years or older: 70.4%
County seat: Fort Wayne
Number of library locations: 14
Library website: http://www.acpl.lib.in.us/
Figure 7: Allen County Public Library Website Home Page
Proximity to and ease of location from the library home page
The Allen County Public Library’s website is unique among sites reviewed thus far in that most of its services, particularly those for adults, are listed on its front page (see Figure 7). The top navigation bar leads to information about the library itself, children’s services, teen services and genealogy. In fact, the “Teens” and “Genealogy” buttons take users to external websites via new pop-up windows (the ACPL teen services blog “Notes from the Underground” and ACPL’s Genealogy Center, respectively). There is a second top navigation bar that points the user to locations, hours, events, a sign-up for ACPL’s e-newsletter “What’s Happening” and ACPL’s Ask-a-Librarian service. Many of these open in new pop-up windows as well.
Most adult services are listed on either the right- or left-hand navigation bars, and those on the right-hand side are static throughout the site, so users can always navigate to them. Major categories are “Research”, “Services”, “Beyond Books”, “Library Catalog”, “BookTalk”, “ACPL Blogs” and “Community” and subcategories are listed below each. While this layout does not make the most attractive website, it does ensure that users can access many of the site’s pages from one central location. Additionally, by putting children’s and teen services in separate sections accessible from the front page, ACPL implies that everything listed on the front page is for adults (although it is not explicitly stated).
Figure 8: ACPL Event Calendar and Filters
Clicking the “Events” tab on the top navigation bar opens a new pop-up window with ACPL’s interactive calendar (Figure 8). Users may easily filter events and program by location, type or audience. The audience selections (Figure 9) include both adults and seniors. Clicking on an event takes the user to page that provides further information and an online registration form, if applicable. Between the extensive services links on ACPL’s front page and the pop-up event calendar, it is possible to navigate to the majority of the Library’s events without ever leaving the front page.
Figure 9: ACPL Event Filters, Detail
There is a catalog search bar on the front page, but no option for searching the site. Additionally, while the events calendar is comprehensive and interactive, it is the only place on the site that many programs and events are listed or explained. For example, the author could find no page that explained or described ACPL’s computer classes other than the event calendar. Clicking the “Computers and Internet” button on the front page leads to a page that does not even mention the classes. If a user did not look on the event calendar, there would be nothing to indicate that ACPL offers any.
Presentation of information: level of attractiveness and usefulness
While ACPL’s website provides a large amount of information and content for the user, it is unattractive and unprofessional looking. Most of the site’s pages are extremely text-heavy, which is not a recommended best practice for web design (Morris, 2015). Research published in ACM Transactions on the Web suggests that web users read between 20% and 28% of the text on a webpage each time they visit it, so balancing the amount of text on each page is recommended for users to easily process all of a website’s provided information (Weinreich, Herder, Obendorf, & Mayer, 2008).
The ACPL webpage does have a scrolling slideshow in its front page; otherwise the site is not particularly dynamic. The colors are unattractive and it appears there is little to no graphic design. Several headings feature orange text on a gray background, which is difficult to read. As mentioned above, there is no site search bar, only one for a catalog search. This means a user has to find the information he or she seeks by clicking through various pages until it is found. Adding a search bar could greatly increase the usefulness of the site.