Public Library Website Evaluation: Technical

Technical Review

The technical aspects of this website are some of the best I have seen to date. While short on photos and graphics, the missing eye appeal is compensated by the ease and speed of navigation. The Denver Public Library website offers a multitiude of online search tools, communication tools, links, and resources.

Design & Navigation

EASE OF NAVIGATION

http://denverlibrary.org provides numerous ways to find out "where you need to go" and "how to get there". Through numerous navigational features, a patron can move smoothly from one subject area to another. The only exceptions to this were for a few "buried" programs not readily apparent on the surface - like NoveList. However, by utilizing the Site Map which was really just a simple table of contents, a user could always find where they wanted to go. Some specific navigational features are:

Six key "tabs" or subject areas accessible at the top of every page
Pages load quickly between primary and secondary pages
Very minimal scrolling -most pages display in window
Technical areas and Site Map available through links at bottom of every page
Pages laid out like newpaper columns and tables of contents - easy to read!
Path of links displayed on each page showing reference to homepage
"Find it Fast" search window on every page, with sub-topic areas

DESIGN & USABILITY

Although short on graphics compared to Yahoo.com or TheSimpsons.com, DPL has placed some color and artwork in a few select places - to enhance the visual interest of certain programs. Moreover, there is a great wealth of photographs in their Western History section.

Additional design features include:

An effective and intuitive homepage linking subsequent pages logically
Consistent "look" and organization throughout the website
Font sizes and spacing are friendly to new readers, the elderly or visually-impaired
The tone and look of the sight reflects the "functional" nature of the discriminating technology audience of Denver
Website uses Meta tags, HTML and Java:images and text display accurately
DOCTYPE of webpages is W3C Transitional HTML

MAINTENANCE

The Denver Public Library obviously maintains its site on a regular basis. While some areas like the online catalogs, or the homepage remain static, News and "Smarty Pants" are maintained regularly. Searching through the news area, for example, showed only current events over the past summer and leading into fall. Archives were kept available but organized seperately.The last update was noted on September 16, 2003.

In addition, the Webmaster was accessible via an active email link at the bottom of every page, allowing patrons instant feedback for any technical difficulties. Every page I clicked on produced an active link and no pages were unable to display.

FINAL IMPRESSIONS

This site, http://denverlibrary.org. utilizes some of the clearest navigation I've seen. Not only does it provide a Site Map and key pages listed on every page, it provdes a "dummy-proof" map of where you are, and how to get home. I intentionally tried this site again on a Saturday evening via dial-up and AOL, and it still loaded quickly too. While accessing databases and online catalogs was not as efficient, I daresay it wouldn't be for many library websites.

When first impressions count for so much, it would be interesting to find out if DPL's key users found its "streamline" design simple and effective, or if indeed there were any users "turned off" by lack of visual interest. In conclusion, while not dramatically entertaining or colorful, I enjoyed this website, and found it to have superior technical aspects.

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