Stap isi

14 February 2011

Shown the way by San Jose

Ever worked on the information architecture of a library site or section?

Labels like “information services”, “electronic resources” and “online databases” will send you mad. They describe their contents adequately to librarians, but to anyone else?

I had the good fortune recently to meet Sarah Houghton-Jan, the Librarian in Black and Assistant Director for the San Rafael Public Library.

In her previous role as Digital Futures Manager of San Jose Public Library, Sarah developed – fought for – the best information architecture I’ve come across on a library website.

Here is a snapshot of the top level sections:

• Books and Media – access to catalogues, readers’ advisory services, eBooks and book clubs; I like the link If We Don’t Have Your Book… which takes you to inter-library loans information and an opportunity to tell us what to buy
• Downloads – access to eBooks, audio books and music, plus subscription databases offering newspapers and journals; importantly, help pages for all these too, like New User’s Guide… and Supported Devices
• Services – information aimed at typical user groups (e.g. children, teens), plus the nitty gritty on photocopying, wireless and web access
• Research and Homework – here be electronic resources, under Find Articles Online and Homework Help; interestingly, also Local History Online
• News & Events – the library blog, whose usefulness is maximised by categorising posts and piping them into the sections above, very nicely done
• Locations – hours and locations, plus map

In her blog post on the redeveloped website she says:

We don’t use the words “database” or “OPAC.” We chose words that our users actually told us they wanted us to use.

Yes, they did user testing and Sarah has stats.

I’ve now forgotten the precise numbers she quoted, but from memory “Downloads” tested over 80%, more than double the recognition for “online databases”. The choice of labels may surprise you, but they are based on user vocabularies.

Dig through the site. There is lots to learn, and borrow.

— b3rn   design, ia, libraries   Feb 14, 09:13 PM   #   Comment