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Ask UCD: Should I underline the links in the design of my website?
Users of your website need to be able to clearly distinguish links from non-links. Text links should therefore be shown in a different color from standard text on the page. I’d also recommended underlining as this can save time in identifying links, especially for low-vision or colorblind users.
Pamphlet #5
When designing your website you should ensure that visited links are a different color from non-visited links. Typically, unvisited links are blue and visited links are purple or gray. The majority of websites follow this convention and users rely on it to determine which pages they’ve already visited. If links are the same color, users may end up visiting the same page multiple times and become confused about the navigation of your site.
Read what Jakob Nielsen has to say about linking at www.useit.com/alertbox/20040503.html and www.useit.com/alertbox/20040510.html.
You can also check out "Library Connect pamphlet number 5: How to Design Library Websites to Maximize Usability." Request printed copies from libraryconnect@elsevier.com, pick them up at upcoming conferences or download a PDF at www.elsevier.com/locate/libraryconnect 
As part of Elsevier’s ongoing commitment to improve levels of customer service, ScienceDirect recently launched the Electronic Holdings Report. This report has been developed in response to feedback from librarians. It is the first in a series of online Web services we hope to make available to our ScienceDirect librarian customers during 2005.
What does the Electronic Holdings Report provide?
The report acts as a collection management tool - enabling you to view up-to-date information relating to your institution’s holdings and entitlements including:
- Subscribed/nonsubscribed status
- Subscription start/end dates
- Journal title history
- ScienceDirect coverage dates
The report is customizable and can be downloaded to your computer or imported directly into your OPAC. It can be displayed or printed in HTML and Excel, and the use of XML enables data to be automatically imported into other systems for further processing.
Accessing the Electronic Holdings Report
The Electronic Holdings Report is accessible to all users with a ScienceDirect ID granting administrative privileges. Users with these privileges can access the report from the "My Profile" tab on the ScienceDirect navigation bar. Any customer who does not currently have administration rights should contact their Regional Sales Office.
Running the Electronic Holdings Report
Running reports like this one can take time. So, we’ve created an email alert facility automatically notifying you when reports are ready for collection.
For more information visit www.info.sciencedirect.com.
Quality Writing, Useful Research, and Stimulating Ideas, . . .
. . . these are the criteria used by the ALA Library Instruction Round Table in selecting articles to be included in their Top Twenty library instruction articles of 2003 (LIRT News, June 2004). Among these 20 are no fewer than four from the Journal of Academic Librarianship, one from Library & Information Science Research, and another authored by Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe, editor of Research Strategies. Congratulations to all authors concerned!
Hall, P. (2003). Developing research skills in African-American students: A case note. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 29(3), 182-188; doi:10.1016/S0099-1333(03)00015-6
Riddle, J.S. (2003). Where’s the library in service learning? Models for engaged library instruction. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 29 (2), 71-81; doi:10.1016/S0099-1333(02)00424-X
Snavely, L. L. & Wright, C. A. Research portfolio use in undergraduate honors education: Assessment tool and model for future work. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 29(5), 298-303; doi:10.1016/S0099-1333(03)00069-7
Warner, D. A. (2003). Programmatic assessment: turning process into practice by teaching for learning. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 29(3), 169-176; doi:10.1016/S0099-1333(03)00017-X
Halttunen, K. (2003). Students' conceptions of information retrieval. Implications for the design of learning environments. Library & Information Science Research, 25(3), 307-332; doi:10.1016/S0740-8188(03)00032-X
Hinchliffe, L. J., et al. (2003). Examining the context: New voices reflect on information literacy. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 42(4), 311-317.
