An Evaluation of Public Library Websites: Describing Children's Services in Japan

ABSTRACT. This study is the first to investigate the amount and type of information about children's services described in Japanese public library websites, with particular reference to the Web pages intended for children, and the extent to which usability is taken into account in the design of these websites. Further, the study analyzes what kinds of content are more prevalent in children's services as described in Japanese public library websites in comparison with the actual delivery of these services. Finally, the study considers the usability of children's Web pages from the perspectives of how easy they are to read and understand.     

An Evaluation of Young Adult Web Pages in Public Library Websites in Japan

This study is the first investigation into the types of contents in young adult (YA) web pages in public library websites in Japan. The study reveals that YA web pages, in general, place more emphasis on providing guidance on YA services, on helping young adults with regular learning, on the use of information resources for reference services, and on improving the communication abilities for young adults, rather than on providing research assistance to adults on YA services. Furthermore, an IRIS (Information Reference Instructional Sharing) Contents Model is proposed for YA web pages, whereas an IRIR (Information Reference Instructional Research) Contents Model is presented for children’s web pages, based on the differences between the contents of YA web pages and those of children’s web pages.     

The Problem Patron and the Academic Library Web Site as Virtual Reference Desk

Summary

Emerging technologies continue to offer librarians new opportunities to improve user services. Comment and query links on some library web pages are absorbing a significant share of the customer service workload previously handled by traditional reference desks. Fa miliar types of patron problems of course continue to crop up at the “vir tual reference desk.” New and different aspects of patron problems also appear. Originating with the experiences of a research university li brary's web group in dealing with incoming user messages, this study examines the challenges as well as advantages of dealing with “problem patron” phenomena in a virtual environment.     

The economic value of library services for children: The case of the Czech public libraries

Public support of library services must be targeted towards children because these services play a key role in their development. However, no prior research has investigated the value of public library services for children. Specifically, earlier studies evaluated the value of public libraries as a whole, without considering library services for different stakeholders. The fact that children are not autonomous economic agents is another problem to address. These barriers can be overcome by using the contingent valuation method with parents/caregivers as the subjects queried and children used as the objects in this study. Thus, the economic value of library services for children can be obtained to support managerial decisions on services specifically designed for children. More precisely, this study is unique in that it develops a contingent valuation methodology for estimating the value of children's library services based on adults' willingness to allocate a proportion of municipal budgets. Both users and non-users were surveyed to verify the proposed methodology empirically. The results show that the perceived effectiveness (ratio between perceived benefits and costs) of children's library services is 11.2 (11.2 units of benefits for each unit invested) in Czech public libraries compared with 4.3 for a library as a whole. This finding confirms the essential role of children's library services, implying that public libraries should offer a broader selection of children's books and other services. The study also shows that the value of children's library services depends on the age, education and economic structure of the adults queried. In addition, their satisfaction with library services is another important determinant, indicating that public libraries can influence the perceived benefits of children's library services.     

A Use of Space: The Unintended Messages of Academic Library Web Sites

Academic library home pages are not only access points to the resources and services of a library, they are virtual representations of the library itself. The content placed on the page, where it is placed, and the amount of space allotted are all choices that send a message about the character of the library, the resources a user should start with, and the library's attitude toward its users. This study explores the messages being sent by the content selection and design of the home pages of 49 of the 50 largest academic libraries in the United States. By looking at the area allocated to different content types and the number and location of different content types, the researchers discovered that design elements and promotion/public relations receive a large amount of page space. The researchers also identified the prominently positioned multi-search box as the apparent de facto standard access point to library resources. Many sites are clearly designed to direct users to specific, presumably important resources. Other sites are more obscure in their site structure and design, increasing the options and visual clutter for users without providing much guidance.     

利用Web3D技术建设数字图书馆平台的研究

利用Web3D虚拟浏览技术建设数字化图书馆被很多业内专家看好,但在实际应用中还没有一个成熟范例。该文基于理论研究及实际应用调研,就数字图书馆建设中的架位导航问题,提出了以Web3D虚拟浏览和可视化等先进理念与关键技术为核心的新的数字化建设解决方案,实现了图书馆OPAC系统与图书架位三维可视化导航的完美结合,是现代数字图书馆建设应用性研究的新尝试。     

Children's Librarians and BPH Subregional Librarians

Ways are explored in which public library children's librarians can help sighted children increase their understanding of persons with visual impairment and their skills in communicating with them. Interviews were conducted with six children's librarians and six BPH subregional librarians, and searches were made in the public library catalogs and the Regional BPH Library fiche catalog for selected titles. Three areas for discussion emerged: reader advisory and reference questions, collection development, and programming. Public library children's librarians and BPH subregional librarians can jointly coordinate provision of children's services by identifying and building on present strengths in collection development and programming.     

从美学角度谈图书馆网页的设计

伴随着互联网的日益发展,网页设计越来越成为人们关心的课题。本文试图从美学的角度谈图书馆网站设计的风格、色彩、字体等三个方面,以提高网站的设计水平,更好的为读者服务。     

Changing Research Patterns and Implications for Web Page Design

Abstract

Despite major, ongoing changes in the profession and in library school curricula, the basic principles of librarianship can and should always be applied, regardless of medium or situation. However, patrons have changed the ways they prefer to search for and access information. This means that librarians must both update their understanding of these principles and find ways to apply them more proactively. One effective response is to design and market library Web pages as preferred gateways to electronic information and instruction. Librarians can transform Web pages into “one-stop-shopping information portals” for users, providing not only information, but also instruction in how to find and evaluate information. Applying Ranganathan's Five Laws of Library Science to Web page designis a useful way to determine iflibrarians are providing the kind of Web pages their patrons need.     

Assessing web services of emerging economies in an Eastern country — Taiwan's e-government

Accessibility of much country-level information and many web services, originating from governments are a global standard. The governments of emerging economies in the eastern countries especially need to adopt, without undue delay, the advanced technologies for providing better web services to their citizens. However, consideration and evaluation of the effectiveness and efficiency of governments' web services is currently lacking in previous literature. Thus, this study first adopts a computational approach suggested in the literature to measure the effectiveness of Taiwan's established, city- and county-level (25 cities and counties, and 1411 governmental units) governments' websites. Then, by considering the IT-related input and output resources as suggested by the experts of e-government during several in-depth interviews, data envelopment analysis (DEA) evaluates the efficiency of Taiwan's governmental web services. This study reveals that the well-developed web services provided by Taiwan's government are apparent in two geographically dispersed cities (north and south) and one county in the northern region of Taiwan. In addition, six cities and counties appear to be ineffective and inefficient in providing web services to Taiwan's citizens due to their geographical remoteness from the capital and small regional populations. An additional finding confirms the significant effect of population size on Taiwanese services for e-government in each city and county. Finally, this study suggests applying more attention to website designs for different levels or regions of governments and building alternative communication channels for citizens with different backgrounds. Consequently, providing citizens' most-requested services becomes easier, and the resources' distribution becomes effective and efficient for those in different geographical locations. This study's findings represent a reference for providing better electronic publically accessible services, and a benchmark for scholars conducting further research in this area.     

Web2.O带给图书馆的机遇与挑战

介绍Web2.0的定义及相关技术,指出Web2.0具有交互性(参与性)、个性化、相关性和开放性的特点,探析它带给图书馆的机遇,包括服务观念的革新及工作新局面的开拓及挑战-可行性、馆员素质、版权等问题,并结合图书馆未来发展的趋势,提出Web2.0应用于图书馆的两点建议引入图书馆门户网站的共建机制与创建图书馆用户体验交流新模式.     

Web2．0带给图书馆的机遇与挑战

介绍Web2．0的定义及相关技术，指出Web2．0具有交互性（参与性）、个性化、相关性和开放性的特点，探析它带给图书馆的机遇，包括服务观念的革新及工作新局面的开拓及挑战——可行性、馆员素质、版权等问题，并结合图书馆未来发展的趋势，提出Web2．0应用于图书馆的两点建议：引入图书馆门户网站的共建机制与创建图书馆用户体验交流新模式。     

An evaluation on the effectiveness of Web 2.0 Startpages (Netvibes & Pageflakes) within NHS libraries

Carol McCormick was Learning Resources Advisor in the library at James Cook University Hospital, South Teesside when she completed her BSc (Hons) Librarianship (Work Based Learning) degree at Northumbria University. She gained a 1st Class Honours and is now Learning Resources Librarian. Carol's dissertation formed part of a wider action research project into the provision of current awareness services at James Cook University Hospital. This article reports on the evaluation which was conducted after a Web 2.0 Startpage, or portal, had been introduced to improve access to current awareness information for all staff within the Trust. It is the second article in the Dissertations into practice series to examine the use of web‐based tools to improve access to information for NHS staff. AM     

Academic Library Web Sites and Distance Education

Abstract

This study focuses on college and university library services provided to distance education students and a content analysis of library Web sites. The Web sites chosen were categorized by the amount of distance education the institution offered to students. Results indicated that the size of the institution had the strongest correlation to library services offered to distance education students (Spearman's rho of .618), not the degree to which distance education is provided (rho of .076). This study suggests that just because an institution offers distance learning courses does not necessarily mean that its library offers a full range of Web services to meet distance learner needs, and it brings into question whether some institutions have been too quick to provide distance education services without properly addressing student library needs.     

Web2.0环境下图书馆工作和职位设置的变革

Web2.0时代的到来对图书馆建设和信息服务提出了新的要求,图书馆应该对传统业务工作进行调整以适应用户为中心的环境要求.本文首先总结了Web2.0技术在图书馆的应用研究概况,继而分析了传统图书馆的职位设置和Web2.0对图书馆工作和职位设置的影响,指出当前面临的问题是如何为Web2.0技术的应用提供相应的职位.     

Law Library Faculty Services Web Sites: Effectively Communicating Services Provided for Faculty

This article contains the results of an empirical analysis and review of 199 American Bar Association-accredited law school library Web pages to identify the law library services for faculty that are advertised or promoted on law library Web sites. The analysis ranked the Web sites based on how thoroughly a law library communicates, or promotes on its Web site, the services it offers to faculty. The analysis also identified the percentage of law libraries advertising specific services for faculty, such as those related to library staffing, publishing support, teaching support, and research services. Suggestions are included for the promotion of the law library to faculty, including services some libraries are uniquely offering.     

高校图书馆网上服务的互动交流性评价

通过对中国高校数字图书馆联盟49所高校图书馆主页反映的网上服务的调查统计分析，从服务项目设置、服务内容、技术功能、人员素质等方面揭示出目前高校图书馆网上服务的互动交流性存在的不足，提出强化网上服务的互动交流性能，拓展高校图书馆网上服务的发展空间和技术创新潜力。     

Click and Be Counted: A New Standard for Reference Statistics

ABSTRACT

This article discusses the National Information Standards Organization's new standard, NISO Z39.7-2004, which includes the reporting of the usage of library-generated Web pages and e-mail, live chat, and instant messaging reference queries. The integration of statistics on these new methods of providing service with traditional library statistics provides a more accurate picture of library services and demonstrates how libraries have expanded types of patron contacts in the digital age. This article also discusses the statistical reporting of individual reference queries handled away from the reference desk (e.g., in individual librarians' offices).     

网络信息资源保存的编目方法与系统研究

为了将长期保存的网络信息资源提供给用户利用,保存机构需要对这些资源进行一定的组织与质量控制。文章介绍了网络资源保存编目研究的发展现状,介绍了目前几种常用的编目方法：延续传统编目方法、基于web2．0标签技术的信息组织方法、基于大规模Web archive自动编目方法。并对两个新型的编目系统进行了深入的剖析：一个是瑞士的电子资源长期保存工程e-Helvetica,它将图书馆编目系统与长期保存系统的摄入流程进行集成整合,利用编目系统对长期保存资源进行组织与控制;另外一种是新加坡的网页标注系统WAWI,借鉴web2．0标签技术为长期保存系统中的网络资源添加标签,实现对资源内容语义层面上的控制。希望能为国内网络信息资源保存的相关研究与实践提供一些参考。该文为2009年第七期“网络信息资源保存”专题文章之一。     

Academic Library Mission Statements,Web Sites,and Communicating Purpose

Continual changes in information technologies over the past three decades have wrought substantial changes in library services and in information-seeking behavior among the general public. Thus the necessity for libraries to utilize the internet to communicate with stakeholders is even more important for academic libraries, as the rate of internet usage among those with college degrees continues to outpace that of the general population. The online availability of a well-crafted mission statement is therefore crucial. This analysis of the web sites of 113 ARL academic libraries—an update of Kuchi's (2006) study—considers the inclusion (availability) and placement (accessibility) of mission statements on library web sites and provides insights into the academic library's use of such statements for communicating mission and purpose to different stakeholders.