Here are my favorite academic libraries of 2014. I expected this year’s sites to be:
- Unified – I wanted a seamless, integrated research experience. I looked for cross-platform search tools, integration with courses, and built-in, non-siloed research guides.
- Instructive – I wanted the site to teach me how to be a better researcher. I looked for embedded information literacy instruction and point-of-need help features.
- Accessible – I wanted the site to be accessible by anyone from any device.
Here are the 2014 winners:
1) North Carolina State University
- The NCSU Library has long been user-focused – as evidenced by their many user studies.
- Their search tool searches across both resources and services, and has a powerful suggest-as-you-type feature that allows users to get quickly to what they need.
- Courses are well-integrated into the site, with Course Tools that include both suggested resources and reserves.
- The library’s research Guides are also well-integrated, keeping users on the library site.
- Point-of-need help such as “What am I searching?” next to search boxes and “Help Finding Articles” on the articles page.
- This is my pick for this year’s Best Large Research library website.
- This year they launched a new custom-built single search tool that searches across the library’s resources, website, and LibGuides.
- The site supports their entire research community: while well-equipped for advanced researchers (check out the Current Awareness page with good tips on keeping up with scholarly journals), it also has plenty of built-in help for beginners, including an excellent Introduction to Research page.
- This library is all about teaching users how to become better researchers: I love their interactive and modular DIY Library teaching tool. The site is also packed with tutorials, how to’s, and workshops.
- I also like the ease of course reserves searching, and prominence of course information.
- This site is my pick for Most Accessible – this was the only library I found that got a perfect score when tested for conformity with website accessibility standards.
- A small college (<7000 FTE) with a great website. Responsive, modern, and intuitive. Featured on this list four years in a row!
- Social interaction is encouraged by their home page”Talkback.”
- Nicely integrated research and course guides.
- Help is embedded throughout the site – see the Help Finding Articles link on the articles page, or call numbers explained on the books page, or “Why do we cite?” on the citation page.
- They also have a great modular research tutorial, Research 101, that walks students through the research and search process.
- Recently re-designed: Modern, attractive, and fully responsive.
- Non-bibliographic content such as library services and even librarian’s names are included in their single search tool.
- Instructive: I like the Articles page, with the prominent text “why should I also try databases and journals?”
- This small college (<3000 FTE) is my pick for Best Small Library website.
- Lots of help – this site is clearly focused on helping students through the entire research experience, with easy-to-find help for everything from writing an annotated bibliography to evaluating sources.
- Research How Tos
- Mobile friendly
- Point-of-need help presented in user-friendly, easily scannable form. See: About library course pages, How to find, E-books help. They have even created help pages for each e-book vendor.
- Course pages are nicely integrated into the site, and also integrated with course reserves – this just makes sense!
9) University of British Columbia
- Jargon-free site: uses familiar language such as “Use the Library” and “Get Research Help.”
- Their guides for library users help new users get started, and they’ve created customized guides for Undergraduates, Graduates, Faculty, Distance Students, and even Staff and Community.
- Course and subject guides are well-integrated into the site.
- Lots of good help features – see their Finding Articles page.
See also:
Top 10 Academic Library Websites 2013
Usable Libraries of the Week 2014