A Literature Review of Academic Library Web Page Studies

Abstract

In the early 1990s, numerous academic libraries adopted the web as a communication tool with users. The literature on academic library websites includes research on both design and navigation. Early studies typically focused on design characteristics, since websites initially merely provided information on the services and collections available in the university's physical library. Beginning in the late 1990s, technological developments coupled with new digitization efforts offered new opportunities for websites with commercial and local databases, electronic journals, e-books, and virtual reference. The availability of new content and services on library websites facilitated research efforts comparing these features among academic library websites. During this period, articles also emerged that considered navigation and usability issues for these pages. The literature on academic library web pages documents efforts by libraries to use web technologies and resources to serve user groups. However, the research also suggests these efforts were hindered by design and navigation issues with academic library web pages. It remains especially important that libraries consider design in the development of their web pages to maximize usage of content.