Elsevier Library Connect Pamphlet: 15 Ways to Promote Effective Use of Online Resources

Number 1 • Edition 2 • 2007
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Research and Findings

Research

Findings

Library Website Positioning

Make sure your institute’s homepage features obvious links to library pages

On the library homepage, offer links to digital resources and subject-specific content

Limit the number of clicks a user needs to get to full-text access.

Library Website Searching

Allow searches on metadata or key words associated with online resources

Offer options for restricting a search

Offer searchable lists of online resources and providers

Library Website Help Features

List library staff titles and names with telephone numbers and email addresses

Incorporate subject-specific help features within your library website

Provide well-structured FAQs as part of your website

Provide guides appropriate for all levels of users, beginner to advanced

Marketing to Users

Use communication extending beyond library buildings and targeting users in subject-specific ways

Avoid generic email alerts to a wide audience in favor of tailored email messages

Create training courses and updates focusing on subject-specific problems

Allow users to register online for training courses or sessions

Collaborate with your publisher and vendor contacts

Additional Resources

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Contact Information

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Library Website Positioning

1. Make sure your institute’s homepage features obvious links to library pages.

Some university homepages do not prominently display links to the institutes’ libraries. Keeping the library close to the surface on an organization’s website can help connect users, especially newcomers, with library resources. A library link on an institute’s homepage can also help maintain awareness of the vital role of the library within a university or community.

To see this best practice in action, visit the Ohio State University homepage at www.osu.edu.

Explore More

Welch, J. M. (2005). The electronic welcome mat: The academic library Web site as a marketing and public relations tool. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 31 (3), 225–228.
DOI: 10.1016/j.acalib.2004.01.014
Retrieved from www.sciencedirect.com

2. On the library homepage, offer links to digital resources and subject-specific content.

A library homepage clearly providing relevant information for researchers is more likely to be used effectively. A site that shows what the library offers to make life easier for users, a site meeting users’ needs, can also contribute to greater satisfaction among patrons and fewer requests for help.

To see this best practice in action, visit Universiti Putra Malaysia’s library website at www.lib.upm.edu.my

Explore More

Brower, S. M. (2004). Academic health sciences library website navigation: An analysis of forty-one websites and their navigation tools. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 92 (4), 412–420.

Harpel-Burke, P. (2005). Library homepage design at medium-sized universities: A comparison to commercial homepages via Nielsen and Tahir. OCLC Systems & Services, 21 (3), 193–208.
DOI: 10.1108/10650750510612399