Web Page Review: Rebecca Crown Library

The new web page for the Rebecca Crown Library is well designed. It is clear that a lot of thought went into the page in terms of usability and layout. After comparing several other college and university library web sites I believe that Dominican University’s design choices make the Crown Library page at least as good as the others. Although it is always possible to make improvements to existing designs I find the current design easy to navigate.

One of the major changes to the site during the last revision seems to have been an update for the “look” of the page. The color palette for the site seems to use fewer primary colors in favor of a move to more understated shades. This makes the site a lot easier on the eyes. The shift to a light background, with a more spacious layout helps also. Below the screenshots show a side-by-side view of the new / old Crown sites.

One of the major complaints that I have about the site is the fact that it is very repetitive. There are several sections that have links in more than one place. While some people might argue that having more ways to access information will only make locating it easier, I am confused by redundant sections such as the “more” sections for article and books.

I have noticed that many college and university libraries have a similar layout to the Crown site. It seems that many of them have about four sections in the center with additional links in columns on the sides. One such site is the Columbia College Chicago site. One of the features that they use that might be a nice addition to the Crown site is the use of different colors to represent sections. This also facilitates a way to return to another section without clicking the back button. To see what I mean go to the Columbia College site and click one of the colorful headings such as the purple “Services” heading. You will see that, rather than clicking back, you will now be able to chose from all of the headings on the right column. This use of color association makes remembering where things are found much easier.

One other aspect of the Crown library page that could be improved is “The Human Element”. I feel that the site is pretty impersonal. The main areas of the library site that encourage interaction, and feel more personal are the News and Events Section and the Ask A Librarian section. Some of the other links within the Research Help approach what I expect, but fall short. A good example of making a page feel “interactive” and more like an actual person is there to help can be found at the North Carolina State University Library page.

As you can see nearly the whole bottom half of the page is devoted to local information, news, and the community. On the Crown site one thing that could be changed to help this “feel” is in the Ask a Librarian section. I like the addition of the Meebo window, but the fact that the page redirects to the cheap looking “myDU” back door to the library really bothers me. If all of this time and attention has gone into a great new Crown Library page why shouldn’t students use it? It seems that most student functions will be accessed through the “my DU” portal, and I think that is a shame.

Okay, I’ll admit it I’m on a bit of a soapbox. I really like most of the features on the new Crown Library site, and I hope that in time the relatively few complaints that I have will be addressed. In general I think that the interface, layout, and overall function of the Crown Library site is quite useful. Some might even call it intuitive.

Whatever you call it, it sure has come a long way since 2003 wouldn’t you say?