This document summarizes findings from a study that evaluated 488 public library websites across Australia. Key findings include: - Most sites lacked mechanisms for user feedback, help functions, and evidence they were recently updated. - Sites were often basic and not user-friendly, lacking staff contact details and encouragement of engagement. - While many had catalog links, most were difficult to access and lacked marketing tools or use of technologies like Web 2.0. - The study concluded websites need modernization, could learn from better examples, and should focus more on user experience through updated design and features. Future research will expand the study to public libraries in English-speaking Canada.

1. An Assessment & Evaluation of
Public Library Websites in Australia
Diane L Velasquez, PhD
Sydney, NSW
27 February 2015
1

2. Agenda
• Introduction
• Methodology
• Findings – Australia
• Findings – by State
• Findings, Phase 1 – Canada compared with Australia
• Conclusion
2

3. Introduction
• Public Library (PL) websites are the e-branch
• PL web assessment evaluations are a gap in
library literature
• PL web assessment and evaluations if in
literature is anecdotal
• Web sites equal presence and marketing
• Few PL evaluations:
▫ McMenemy in Scotland
▫ Powers in Pennsylvania
3

4. Marketing of Public Libraries
• Convenience for patrons
• Provide excellent customer service via web page
• Evaluating the web page for usability
• What makes a good public library web site?
▫ Ease of use
▫ Good information
▫ Well designed
4

5. Group Project
• 18 Students in the four phases
• Initially 25 public library web sites each
• Given the methodology
• Asked to do a short literature review
• Worked individually instead of as a group except for
Phase 3
5

6. Methodology
• Powers, 2011
▫ Pennsylvania project replicated
▫ Had 20 basic questions
 One question was not asked
▫ Added two regarding joint use
• Included branch libraries
• Some consistency issues were apparent
6

7. Methodology
• Answered each category as a Yes/No question
• Used Excel to process results
• The rest of the data qualitative
• Qualitative data has not been processed
• Last Project data turned in on 7 November 2014
7

8. Information Gathered
• Physical & Mailing Address
• Telephone Number
• Email
• Hours of Operation
• Library Manager/Director
• Joint Use Facility – Yes/No
▫ If yes, what type?
8

9. Information Gathered (cont’d)
• Catalogue Link
• State Databases or other links (i.e. Trove, etc.)
• Date web page last updated
• Mixture of text and images
• Promotion of events and programs on the pages
• Search box available
• Place to provide feedback about the site
9

10. Information Gathered (cont’d)
• Free from spelling and grammatical errors
• A place to ask for help or assistance from the
library
• Consistent logo, branding, or picture that is
library specific (not council specific)
• Use of Web 2.0 tools (i.e. Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram, Historypin, Yammer, etc.)
10

11. 11

12. States Represented by PLs
1, 0%
88, 18%
17, 4%
69, 14%
65, 13%
44, 9%
43, 9%
161, 33%
ACT NSW NT QLD SA TAS VIC WA
12
n = 488

13. Joint Use Facilities
99, 20%
389, 80%
Yes No
n = 488
13

14. Joint Use Facility Type
29, 29%
6, 6%
8, 8%
15, 15%
4, 4%
5, 5%
32, 33%
School TAFE University Comm Ctr Council Museums Other
n = 99
14

15. Top/Bottom 5 Categories
Top 5 Bottom 5
• Telephone – 85%
• Hours of Operation – 83%
• Spelling & Grammar – 82%
• Catalogue – 67%
• Text/Images – 67%
• Help – 18%
• Library Manager – 20%
• Feedback – 27%
• Date Site Updated – 30%
• Image/Icon (library) – 35%
15

16. Yes/No Questions
16
430 415
182
404
99
58 73
306
84
389
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
Address Telephone Online
Contact
Hours Lib Manager
Yes Non = 488

17. Yes/No Questions
17
288
328
289
146
200
160
199
342
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
Email Catalogue State Dbases Site Update
Yes Non = 488

18. Yes/No Questions
18
325 324
200
132
163 164
288
356
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
Text/Image Promo Onsite Search Box Feedback
Yes Non = 488

19. Yes/No Questions (cont’d)
19
400
89
171
219
88
399
317
269
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
Correct Spelling Ask for Help Logo Web 2.0
Yes Non = 488

20. 20

21. Bottom 5 Overall by Reverse Rank
Order
NSW QLD SA TAS VIC WA
Help 1 3 3 3 2 1
Date Site Updated 2 4 3 4
Feedback 3 1 2 2 3
Library Manager 4 4 1 1 2
Online Contact 5 5 4
Search Box 2 1
Icon/Image (Library) 4 5 5
Email 4
Web 2.0 4
Databases (State) 5
21

22. Top 5 Overall by Rank Order
NSW QLD SA TAS VIC WA
Catalogue 1 5 5 2 5
Events 2 3
Address 3 1 1 1 1 1
Spelling & Grammar 4 4 3 3 4 4
Text/Images 5 5
Phone 2 2 1 1 2
Hours of Operation 3 4 4 3
Databases (State) 2
Web 2.0 5
22

23. Yes Answers
23
77
72
33
7 10
1
53 53
25
55 54
19
44 44
26
41 41
21
152
140
56
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
Address Phone Online Contact
NSW NT QLD SA TAS VIC WA

24. Yes Answers
24
71
30
71
7
0
7
53
15 15
51
25
50
42
0
3336
9
29
143
19
83
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
Hrs Operation Lib Mgr Email
NSW NT QLD SA TAS VIC WA

25. Yes Answers
25
86
60
19
7 5
1
35 35
11
43 43
8
38
43
35
41
22
17
78
81
54
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Catalogue State Dbases Onsite Data
NSW NT QLD SA TAS VIC WA

26. Yes Answers
26
75
79
51
7 5 2
43
36
17
35
49
1
29 29 3234
39
33
101
78
63
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Text/Image Event Dates Search Box
NSW NT QLD SA TAS VIC WA

27. Yes Answers
27
21
76
13
2
7
1
11
50
12
3
54
4
18
42
24
29
37
16
49
133
18
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
Feedback Spelling Help
NSW NT QLD SA TAS VIC WA

28. Yes Answers
28
33
59
2 3
15
23
16
33
27
25
27
36
50
42
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Icon Web 2.0
NSW NT QLD SA TAS VIC WA

29. 29

30. Bottom 5 Categories
Australia Canada
• Help – 14%
• Feedback – 18%
• Date Site Updated – 19%
• Image/Icon – 26%
• Library Manager – 32%
• Date Site Updated – 17%
• Feedback – 17%
• Image/Icon – 42%
• Help – 45%
• Catalogue – 51%
30

31. Top 5 Categories
Australia Canada
• Telephone – 85%
• Spelling & Grammar – 82%
• Hours of Operation – 78%
• Catalogue – 70%
• Text/Images – 67%
• Address – 98%
• Telephone – 97%
• Hours of Operation – 96%
• Spelling & Grammar – 96%
• Text/Images – 90%
31

32. Yes Answers
32
180 173
84
169
70
208 205
161
204
129
0
50
100
150
200
250
Address Telephone Online
Contact
Hours Lib Manager
Australia Canada

33. Yes Answers
33
116
151
134
42
145 152
169
109
151
35
190
174
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
200
Australia Canada

34. Yes Answers
34
52
39
179
31
56
107
169
35
203
96 90
136
0
50
100
150
200
250
Search Box Feedback Spelling Help Icon/Image Web 2.0
Australia Canada

35. 35

36. Findings - Australia
• Majority had catalogue links (67%)
• Most web sites were locked down and hard to
access
• For a customer focused industry, most of the
sites were basic and hinder customer service
36

37. Findings (cont’d)
• No encouragement of contact with patrons
• Staff names were not on the web sites
• Many of the sites were not well designed
• Not user friendly
• Sites didn’t encourage users to ask questions
37

38. Majority of Sites Missing
• Ability to ask for help on the site (18%)
• Feedback mechanism for the library site (27%)
• Site up to date: showing a date when it was last
updated (30%)
• A library image or icon (35%)
• Search box available for the library information
(41%)
• Use of Web 2.0 tools (45%).
38

39. Conclusions
• Websites need to be updated
• Could learn from other websites like the better
Canadian and Australian websites
• Up-to-date marketing tools
• Web 2.0 Tools – more than Facebook and
Twitter
• More user centric
39

40. Future Research
• Phase 4 has just been completed
• All Australian public libraries have been done
• Next phase will begin Phase 5 of English
speaking Canadian public libraries
40

41. Acknowledgement of Thanks
The student researchers were:
• Andrew Angus
• Andree Brett
• Michelle Chitts
• Robin Costelloe
• Lungile Dlamini
• Daniel Easterbrook
• Fariha Hamid
• Deanna Harrison
• Catharine Kelly
• Isabella Laskari
• Zoe Manger
• Daniel Mason
• Cyprian Maynard
• Claire Morris
• Margaret Parker
• Claire Telfer
• Sarah Thompson
• Amy Vanner
• Jana Walmann
41

42. 42