Accuracy of Web Documents

This is a new library, so I wanted to evaluate their website to see if they were using current practices. There was no mention of a contact (author or Webmaster) on the main page nor on any of the other pages. Once a link was chosen from the main page, the user had access to an FAQ page, but there was little information, and none related to maintenance of the page. There was a Suggestion Box on the About the Library page, but there was no reference as to where the suggestion was going.

Authority of Web Documents

There is no author listed, but the URL is based at the library (www.library.nashville.org), so it appears to be an in-house creation.

Objectivity of Web Documents

The site is attractive and loads fairly easily. It is simple in appearance and includes large print so that it is readable by the very young and old alike. It includes the following topics on the main page: Library catalog & online resources, About the library, News & events, Kids place, Teen web, Ask a librarian, Recommended websites, Nashville & Tennessee sites, and Search the Web. The user is also directed to the Enhanced Catalog features with a link to details as well as information on the Big, Big, Book Club with details. While the Nashville & Tennessee sites page is very extensive, it does not include advertising it is merely a listing of links to art, event listings, music & dance, and theatre. No advertising appears on the site; however, there is more information about Nashville than there is about the library at first glance.

The main page uses 5 font sizes, but each is used in a separate section of the page, and the sections are well spaced from each other. The largest font was reserved for the librarys name. The next to smallest font is dedicated to the links to this library. All other links are to information about the area. There is no scrolling on the main page everything fits on one screen. Cursive as well as plain type are used. The background is black with lettering and bullets in gold, blue, and white. There is no animation, but there is a picture of the Parthenon, a well-known site in Nashville. Links are easily available through a simple click.

Currency of Web Documents

The general info page was last updated on March 12, 2003 (today!). The Libraries page was last updated January 23, 2002. Four of the academic library links were dead, but all of the public library and Tennessee resources sites were live. All links on the library page were live. The Library News page was very current and included links to each area of the library for the month of March.

Coverage of the Web Documents

This is a free page with no special software needed to view the information. The online catalog is very easy to use. Access to electronic databases was limited by a password. However, everyone in Tennessee knows that the password to the Gale databases supplied through the Tennessee Electronic Library is elvis.

This website needs more work to authenticate its authority and accuracy.

Academic Library Bryn Mawr College Library - http://www.brynmawr.edu/library/

Accuracy of Web Documents

I came across this website through a listserv. It was last updated on October 8, 2002, so the main page is almost six months old in currency. At the bottom of the page, there are two links one to email to the Library Web Committee and one to the librarys website mission statement which included the names of the committee and stated that the site was created in July of 1998.

Authority of Web Documents

The website was created by a Library Web Committee whose names are listed through a link at the bottom of the main page. Three of the five names appear in the Library Staff list.

Objectivity of Web Documents

The site is very simple using three colors. The title of the library is in large red type, centered at the top. Links to the various pages are in blue, and there are two heading buttons on the side in green. The links are a little close together but readable. Mixed in are the librarys catalog and a quick search drop-down menu. Other links are to Research Databases & Websites, E-Journals, Inter-Library Loan/PALCI, Reference, Off-Campus Access, Reserves, Blackboard, plus some links to library-specific topics including About the Libraries, Hours, Book Locations, Staff Directory, Exhibitions, Ask a Librarian, LiveHelp, and Borrow a Laptop. Additionally, there is information and link related to live help hours which evidently had been recently changed to include evenings and Sundays. There are also links to other libraries in the area.

Currency of Web Documents

The librarys online catalog was last updated on October 17, 2002. It is a very useful catalog, one that I would like to emulate in my library. On the right are the typical ways to search a catalog subject, title, author, keyword, etc. But instead of being taken to another page for limiting the search, the limits available are listed on the left side videos, sound recording, etc. So, both pieces of information can be input from the same screen. Other libraries can also be searched from this screen. As with the main page, there is no scrolling everything fits on the same page. Journal indexes, LiveHelp, and ILL Requests are also linked to this page. Research Databases & Websites includes electronic databases, general and reference websites, and a section on Discipline/Subject Specific Resources. When I searched for Music, I was taken to the RILN online database which is an authoritative database in the field. Most of the databases required a password which was not given. I found no broken links. While a few of the pages were 6-12 months old, the library staff page was updated today, and the Exhibitions page was updated a week ago.

Coverage of the Web Documents

No special software was needed for the regular cataloging pages. I was interested in the live help, and when I clicked on it, it loaded software that was needed to use it. I was unable to send a request in the evening, because the school was on spring break. There was also an Ask the Librarian page that included a form for sending an email request for information. There was an FAQ link. The Exhibitions page was very nice, including artwork. My favorite aspect of the library was its Web-based Guides (http://www.tricollege.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=subjectguides&subaction=results). The links within the guides were to the online catalog and were updated as the catalog was updated. Again, I would like to try this feature in my own library.

I found this to be a very useful and easy to navigate academic library site.