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Design of website for Academic Libraries: Tools and Techniques

Conference Paper · December 2012

DOI: 10.13140/2.1.2413.9846

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Design of website for Academic Libraries: Tools and
Techniques
*Prasanna Kumara BM and **Sachin Y
Asst. Librarian, New Horizon College of Engineering, Bangalore

Abstract:
The Web is now established as the medium for widely disseminating information
across the Internet. This article describes about design of academic library website’s tools and
techniques. Always web designers must have a good objectives and elements for web page
designing. And also this article describes the principals and guidelines for web page
designing. This article main aim is to give proper standards for academic library web page for
functional analysis of library. To prepare a library data for that platform new concepts,
described here, must be integrated into library data practices and some legacy practices must
be re-evaluated. Although there is some agreement about some of the features that are
necessary on a library’s home page, as revealed by the content analyses of public and school
library home pages, there is nevertheless great diversity too, and not all library web pages or
sites contained even basic information to identify the library.

Key Words: Web designing, websites, World Wide Web, Bluevoda, FrontPage,
Academic library, Guidelines for web design
1. Introduction
The concept of librarianship in higher education has been changed. The library
services should now cross the boundaries of four walls. In the present scenario of
globalization, the librarian should think towards extending the facilities to the users apart
from his institution by marketing their services. The librarian will have to be more pro- active
in this aspect. He must undertake the study about needs and demands of the users in terms of
information. Accordingly librarian must design, develop and provide information product and
services, to meet such needs and demands and rushed out to them rather wait for them to
come to the library.
Special collection, services and facilities available are to be kept before the users and
encourage them to avail these facilities for their academic work. Many libraries use
information brochures for the advertisement of their consultancies and expertise. Taking this
into consideration as mentioned earlier, the librarian should develop the information packages
for the users and reach up to them instead of waiting them to come to library. When we have
to reach up to the users, we must identify the ways. Hosting of website for the library is one
of the most effective ways in the IT environment. Hence, the librarian must acquire the skill
of web page designing and he must have knowledge of it.

2. Need for the Website

The Web is now established as the medium for widely disseminating information
across the Internet. Within the academic context, students, research scholars and faculty
members throughout the world have the ability to retrieve seemingly endless volumes of
information from all over the globe. Thus the World Wide Web is bringing sweeping changes
in most of our daily activities and it has changed the overall ways and means, mode and
methods of information dissemination.

Generally the Web sites will not be well developed and well organized. This is
because any individual having little knowledge of HTML can launch website on the Internet.
In particular the majority of library web sites are lack with information organization in the
Web document, there is no information about authority, address for further contact, un-
organised graphics, hyperlinks and navigation. Moreover the detailed information about the
library collection, staff, journals, working hours, different sections etc., are not clearly
mentioned.) Any website should contain complete information to the users. Thus one should
design library web site in such a way that user can easily navigate through it and must get
relevant information about the library. Careful Planning and clear sense of purpose are the
keys to success in building an effective library web site. However, it is possible today to
make very creative, artistic and interesting web sites that are completely accessible to target
group. Since designing of a web site is an art and it involves fair knowledge of a designer, the
web site designer should follow several procedures and guidelines to make web site more
interactive and effective. Equal priority should be given to intellectual content of the web site
and to aesthetic features.

3. Objective of the Website Design

The main objectives of the Website Designing are:
a. To collect detailed information about collection, staff, different sections of the Library.
b. To use comprehensive guidelines for designing library web page and also to illustrates
the features of some selected web site designing software.
c. To design a model website Library using web designing software.
d. To host library web site on the web using service providers and also to provide any
where and any time access to the user regarding the library collection staff, library
membership, library rules.
e. To submit the URL (universal resource locator) of library web site to different search
engines viz. Google, Yahoo etc for retrieving information about Library from these
search engines.

4. Elements of Web Site Design

The distribution and organization of Information and services are critical to the design of
a Web site. Segregate information into logical units and arrange them to be convenient and
useful for the user.
The following elements help design an effective Web site:
I. Site structure
II. Site navigation
III. Web page design and layout

I. Site structure
There are three commonly used structures that you can employ for your Web site:
a. Sequential
b. Hierarchical
c. Web structure
a) Sequential structure
A sequential structure is the simplest way to present information on a Web site. In this
structure, information is presented in a linear manner, from start to end, and it reads similar to
the traditional publishing media, such as books and video.

b) Hierarchical Structure
A hierarchical structure is the most widely used structure for Web sites. Information is
arranged as a progression from concise to detailed topics.
c) Web structure
A Web structure represents complex relationships among various information chunks or
Web pages on a Web site.

II. Site Navigation

It is common for Web users to jump from page to page on the Web by clicking links out
of interest or sheer curiosity, and soon they find themselves viewing pages that are unrelated
to their initial search.
Navigational elements
The most common navigational element is a hyperlink, which is either text or a graphic
that a user can click to move to another page or to a different part of the same page. However,
simple links often do not make the context clear to the user. Therefore, include other
navigational elements on your web site, such as:
a. Menus
b. Path links
a. Menus
Menus provide the user with a choice of links to various parts of the web site. The links
that have already been clicked by the user are displayed in a different color, to provide
context.

b. Path links
A path links is an ordered sequence of links, with each link representing a segment of
Web site that the user visited before reaching the current segment. The path link is usually
displayed on the top or bottom of pages so that the user has a context.
III. Web Page Design and Layout
While the structure and navigation are the backbone for information distribution, it is
the layout of Web pages that creates the user experience on a site. Web pages in the site
should be visually appealing and informative.

5. Principles of Web Design

The purpose of creating the visual design of a Web page is to communicate ideas or
information to direct, affect, inform, or inspire the user. The way you express the massage
depends on your understanding of the elements of design, the psychology of perception, and
the techniques you use to create a composition.
The designer shapes sensory input, while the viewer processes and experiences it. To
influence how a viewer perceives the message, you need to understand more about human
perception and learn to use visual techniques to control the visual effect.
a. Creating a composition
b. Using positive and negative space
c. Balancing a page layout
d. Directing the user’s eye on a Web page

a. Creating a composition
A composition is the way in which various design elements, such as shapes, colors,
and textures, are arranged in a given space. A composition is the result of organizing
different design elements to form a harmonious whole.
b. Positive and Negative Space
When you view any space, your brain registers two distinct components in that space,
the background and the foreground. The image in the space, which you see as the object, is
the figure and the space in which it is placed is the ground.
c. Balancing a page layout.
To make the user interaction with your Web site meaningful and enjoyable, you must
create a balance between the various elements of a Web page. One aspect of assessing
balance is through the alignment and direction of objects in a composition. In this concept,
balance can be of three types:
• Vertical: A composition is vertically balanced when the element in the composition
are vertically aligned in a symmetric order.
 • Horizontal: A composition is horizontally balanced when the elements in the
composition are horizontally aligned in symmetry.
• Radial: This type of balance is desirable in circular compositions.
d. Directing the User’s Eye on a Web page
Designing a Web page involves creating a visual logic, where the content is organized in a
logical and predictable sequence. When users view a Web page, their eyes scan a page and
interpret information in a sequence, from general to specific.

6. Guidelines for designing Library Website

a. Use a copyright statement or indicate the latest date of update.
b. Provide a statement of status when a document is in progress (an ‘under construction’,
sign, for eg.).
c. Include a section highlighting new information, content, etc.
d. Provide and indication of restricted access when appropriate.
e. Include a warning statement when links will need to large documents or images.

7. Guidelines for Creating and Maintenance of Web documents

Mc Clements and Becker in their article ‘Writing Web page Standards’ (1996) have
produced concise standards and guidelines for creation and maintenance of Web documents.
Their standards consist of three parts: content, design, and procedural/ technical concerns.
a) Use a style sheet for visual consistency across related documents.
b) Use small graphics to identify all of the documents on a web site.
c) Offer a short and simple home page.
d) Provide active links to mentioned documents.
e) Avoid ‘monster’ graphics, as well as using many little graphics; sparingly use bold,
italics, blinking, etc.
f) Provide navigational aids for users; provide hot buttons for shortcuts.
g) Use a minimum of text in list or menus.
h) Use a markup language that is readable by future maintainers of the Web site or page.
i) Check the finished document with a variety of browsers, both textual and graphic.
j) Restrict development to nonpublic directories.
8. Features of the library home page:
Regardless, of the purposes that the library’s home page is designed to serve, the
following features are virtually essential if the page is to be useful to the people who
might visit it.
a. The page should have a sensible title (the words that appear in the frame at the top of the
page) that includes the keywords likely to be used by people searching for the page.
b. Graphics and photographs can make a page very attractive, especially when they are
chosen carefully for the information that they convey as well as for their visual appeal.
c. The page should provide a good overview of the library and its services, though this may
not necessarily be long.
d. For users from outside the country, a short explanation in English would be helpful even
if all the other information on the page is in the national language.
e. The page should have features that will encourage first-time visitors to read on and then
to return.
f. People will be encouraged to use the page on an ongoing basis if they know that they will
always find something new on it when they visit.
g. Links to other Internet resources can be very useful to the users of a library home page.
h. If a link can be provided to the online catalogue of the library, this is often a useful
service.
i. The page should incorporate some means by which visitors to the page can contact the
library staff.
j. Other features that are important include the provision of a ‘way out’ of the page an
indication of when the page was last updated and a postal or street address for the library.

9. Website Designing Software

Today is the age of technology; currently nearly any person young or old can become
Internet friendly. Today It is also true that many educational institutions, research
organizations, companies and individuals need to design a website. Most of these people
have little or no experience in doing so. Now a day any one can download some freely
available web site designing software and they can easily design a web site for their
company, organization or personal web sites. Many freely available webpage design
website many of the website designers made this job easier by introducing the free tutorial
videos and any one can have his own website. Here some of web design software flowingly
listed out
a. BlueVoda: full name BlueVoda Website Builder is a HTML editor and website
builder and works and acts as a website builder designed to hide the code of web
building. It is offered as a free download but requires a VodaHost account to publish
the website on the web. BlueVoda looks very similar to Microsoft Office's interface
allowing the user to create websites without knowing code and having components
such as tables, text formatting and the rest. BlueVoda includes features viz, dragging
and dropping ability, this feature allows users to drag and drops items without using
table layouts. However, it is a typical editor with an interface similar to Microsoft
Word that is designed for the novice building their first website offering a range of
tools to create a simple multipage website.

b. FrontPage XP: is a software application for creating and modifying entire Websites
or single Web pages. The program, in its normal view, provides a simple interface for
novice users to create and design simple yet elegant WebPages .It also offers an
HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) interface for more experienced users with
color – coded command lines and organized formatting. After you have created your
Web page using FrontPage you will still need to load it on a server for your site to
become the part of the Internet.

c. NetObjects Fusion: NetObjects Fusion is powerful Web design software that has
earned critical praise and worldwide recognition as one of the fastest, easiest ways to
build, manage and promote websites. For beginners, intuitive wizards and
professionally designed templates get you online in minutes. Advanced users enjoy
powerful Website design capabilities required to create sophisticated Web sites.
NetObjects Fusion is the Smart Way to Build Great Sites

d. Web Studio 5.0: Web Studio is easy-to-use web design software program that lets
anyone create professional-looking web pages in minutes. With Web Studio's drag-
and-drop interface, WYSIWYG layout and easy-to-use features, building a web site is
easy and fun.
e. Adobe Dreamweaver CS5.5: is the industry-leading web authoring and editing
software that provides both visual and code-level capabilities for creating standards-
based websites and designs for the desktop, smart phones, tablets, and other devices.
 f. AlleyCode: provides a free HTML editor with many powerful features and
JavaScript. One of its strengths is an integrated CSS wizard to help you create in-page
or external style sheets to give your site a consistent look and feel.

g. Kompozer is a terrific open source WYSIWYG editor for web pages. This great
software package is based on Nvu and the Mozilla Composer engine, but includes
many enhancements. Kompozer is available for Windows, Mac OSX and Linux.

h. Trellian Webpage allows you to create your own web pages without having to learn
complex scripting languages. Webpage's WYSIWYG interface makes editing pages
as easy as using your favorite word processor

Conclusion
Libraries are creating home pages or having them created, and more plan to do so.
The pages are being developed in a variety of ways and for a range of purposes, and even a
brief time spent ‘surfing’ library home pages from one of the directory sites will provide
reinforcement for this comment. The website designing software has filled a hole in the web
design world has made everyday people capable of creating a web page with great ease and
expertise. Expensive web designers are no longer needed to get the results you want. All you
need is a computer, Internet access and software and your dream website will be designed.
The goal of there website maker is to make website building easy, affordable and fun and
these website maker brings creating your own website to a whole new level. Although there
is some agreement about some of the features that are necessary on a library’s home page, as
revealed by the content analyses of public and school library home pages, there is
nevertheless great diversity too, and not all library web pages or sites contained even basic
information to identify the library.
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