Website Development Issues

Abstract

Since 1995, university academic libraries have seen increased computer demand and use by faculty, staff, and students; widespread use of bibliographic databases to identify the existence and content of local and remote information; the emergence of full-text electronic resources; and a plethora of network databases, protocols, and applications growing piecemeal throughout the academic setting. To provide on-line access to these resources, libraries created web ‘gateways’ using new browser-based technology. When any new technology develops, there is a tendency to discard the traditional way of doing things and start again. However, rather than arguing which approach is better, it is more constructive to examine and combine the strengths of each approach to provide a better service for the end-user. This is particularly applicable in the case of web sites, since the creation of a web site has become a relatively easy task. This chapter reviews the best practices gleaned from various disciplines, sprinkled with real-life examples, and tempered by experience. The goal of the chapter is to provide the framework for a viable library web project.