BCR Logo Home Services Events Resources About BCR Search Site Map BCR Online
A c t i o n    f o r    L i b r a r i e s    —    N o v e m b e r    2 0 0 4

BCR Seeks Member Opinions
to Improve BCR Online Web Site

By Sharon Hoffhines
BCR has established a Web Usability Improvement group to test BCR's Web site and help determine if it is member- centered, easy to navigate and designed so members can easily find the information they need. Thirteen staff members from libraries throughout the BCR region agreed to participate in the Web Usability Improvement group. Their prior experience levels using the Web and BCR's Web site varied from novice to that of expert user.

Usability Group members were asked by the BCR Internet Team to complete a 20-question online form. Each question requested information that could be found on different sections of the BCR Web site - Workshops & Training, OCLC Services, People, Reference Databases, etc. They also were asked to outline the paths they took to find their answers and to point out any difficulties or frustrations they encountered.

Internet Team members have analyzed the responses and discovered that some consistent problems were encountered in finding the answers to the questions. Currently, the Internet Team is using the responses to analyze the entire BCR Web site, looking for:

  • Structural consistency of all BCR Web pages.
  • Placement of links and whether the links are obvious to Web users.
  • Adequate cross-referencing of links.
  • Whether metadata could be used more effectively to aid site visitors in searching.
  • Terminology and whether BCR should consider changing names of links to terms BCR members may better understand.

The Internet Team anticipates the analysis of the Web site will be complete in approximately one month. The team is scheduled to meet in November to examine the results of that analysis and decide what changes to make. Once the changes are completed, the team will call on the Web Usability Improvement group again to review the revised Web site and help determine if the changes are an improvement and whether additional modifications are needed.

If you have questions, concerns or opinions of your own to share about BCR Online, contact BCR's Sharon Hoffhines (shoffhin@bcr.org).

Next Article | Previous Article | Table of Contents | BCR Publications

Comments to: shoffhin@bcr.org
February 27, 2008
Copyright © 2004 BCR