Help Needed: Best Practices,Collaborative Advantage,and Library Websites

Abstract

Around the world, building and managing library websites calls for solving problems. For instance, library administrators must resolve technical issues, like broken hyperlinks, as well as organizational issues, like staffing problems. To help libraries deliver services to their patrons, this essay first presents the idea of collaborative advantage as one way to think about problem-solving in library websites. Then, I describe a study of U.S. state government agencies. Finally, I present in detail five best practices for use in library website creation to foster discussion about the costs and benefits of working with third-parties.