Design Of A Web Page For Special Libraries

INTRODUCTION

A Special Library is a library, which is maintained by individual, corporation, association, government agency, or any other group for the collection, organization and dissemination of information and primarily devoted to a special subject and offering specialized service to a specialized user. Users of such libraries often need up-to-date information promptly. The web pages are the fastest media of communication. It is the best media of getting current information and it is the best way of advertising the activities and services of a special library to the rest of the World. Users also need a ready database of documents / Catalog that he/she can access remotely, so that search and retrieval time is reduced. The User needs a platform to communicate with the Librarian for administrative purposes and also a discussion forum with co-academicians. Considerable thought should be given to determine the kind of information to be provided and its presentation in order to fulfill these needs.

OBJECTIVES

The main Objectives are:

To provide a model for creating web pages, which will act as a guideline for special library web page designers.
To identify the information elements to be included in a Special library Web page.


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Asst.Librarian, School Of Management Library, Sri Krishna College of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore.
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IMPORTENT FEATURES OF A WEB PAGE

To organize the elements in a logical and helpful way to make a page the most useful and attractive one. Some basic points to be taken in mind while designing the web pages:

There should always a link to the main page so that users can always come
back to that page.
If the Structure of the site is Complex then there should be a site map which
help the users to get their relevant information in least possible time.
Some commonly asked questions and their answers can be in a Web page.
A section cam be included to make the users about the current activities of the
libraries in the name of Whats new
The background should be light and should be comfortable for eyes. Another
factor is font size and color of the font.
Use of blinking text should be restricted
Image takes more time to load on the browser. So, a web page should not be
overloaded with images.
The Web page should be updated regularly as everybody expects current
information from Net.

SITE MAP:

Site map is a map of the library Web site. If the structure of a site is too complex then it guides the users to find out the particular information required by the users. If the site is not too complex then too it is better to provide site map as it helps the users to a particular page of a Web site without going through the other pages which are required by them. To identify the items of information which are essential to include in a special library Web page.

About the Library
Collections
Services
Contact Information
Date of Creation of updates
About the Parent organization
Search facility
Feed back
Online Catalogue
Online database

About the Library:

Special libraries are those maintained by an association, government service, parliament, research institution (excluding university, institutes), learned society, professional association, museum, business firm, etc. It is considered as one, which is specializing in a particular subject or group of subjects or a particular form of documents.
This section may include the following information about the library:
Types
Objectives
Functions
History
Location
Opening Hours
Subject area covered
Rules and regulations
Staff information
Collection:

It Provides information about the collection of a Library. It informs the users about the collection strength and weakness of a Library. It is better to provide a list of Journals, Magazines, Books and Other Documents.

Services:
Special Libraries are provides specialized services to its specialist users. This section provides information about different types of services provided by the library. Some of the services which most of the special libraries provide are:
Circulation Service
Routing of periodicals
Reservation Service
Documentation Service
Current Awareness Service
Selective Dissemination of Information Service (SDI Service)
Retrospective Search
Reference Service
Referral Service
Translation Service
Bibliographic Service
User Orientation Program
Inter-library Loan Service
Document Delivery Service
Reprographic Service
Liaison Service
CD-ROM Service
Access to Internet and E-mail
Discussion Group / Bulletin Board Service
Special Services for users with Disabilities
Among these services, almost all types of libraries provide the circulation service, reference service, and reprographic service. Mostly the special libraries provide the Current Awareness Service (CAS), SDI service, etc. CD-ROM Service and Access to Internet Service are newly emerged services.
Contact Information:
Anybody can put any information on Net. So it is difficult to judge which source is authentic and which is not. So, contact information or name of the creator with the affiliation can help the users to judge the authenticity of a source on the Net it also makes it easier for users to contact the library for further information.

Date of Creation & updates:

This is an important section which most of the designers of Web page forget to include. It determines the currency of a page and as the information found on Net is considered to be the most current, it is necessary to include this section. A Web page has to be revised or updated regularly and that date should be provided in the page, so that a user who requires current information can take decision whether to visit the page or not.
About the Parent Organization

All special libraries are established to serve its parent body. There should be a way to know the activities, objectives and departments of the parent organization. If the organization has a Web site then it is sufficient to provide a link to that site. Otherwise, the library Web site should contain the essential information about its parent body.

The Following information can be provide in this section,
Departments
Courses offered
Ongoing research activities
Faculties
Contact Information
Search Facility
This facility helps the users to find out the particular information from a site, which is essential for easy access. It may also include searching of catalog, databases or the electronic journals. Some Web sites allow only to the search their Web sites and provides links to search the catalog and databases separately. But some of the Web sites include searching of catalog and databases under the same heading. But it is better to provide separately as it helps the users to know whether the library has their catalog online or not and also whether it allows to search the databases online.
Search for




Feedback

This section allows users to send the suggestions, comments or complains to the person or organization responsible for hosting a page. It may provide a form to send the feedback to the respective person. If form is not provided then E-mail address is specified to accept the feedback. There should be a way to receive the feedback as it helps to improve the Web site. Sometimes users send suggestions, which help to remove the shortcomings of a Web page.
Feedback Form
Name
E-Mail


Comment




Online Catalog
The libraries those have their catalog in electronic form make them available online so that the users can access from any terminal from the institute. The catalog can be searched using the title, author, keywords, and call numbers, etc. Some libraries allow to access their catalog from outside also, which is known as Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC). This section provides the online search facility along with the instructions to access and search the catalog.
Online Database
A database is a collection of related data stored in a central location or in multiple locations. Libraries provide access to their databases through their Web pages. The catalog of a library informs the users about the books or journals, which contain the information of their requirement. To get the original information, one has to access the electronic journals or books. The online databases provide access to journals and books online. Some of databases are restricted to the users of a particular library and some of them are available for others also. Some databases are password protected and some are free. It may need to pay the cost to access a database or it may be free also. Generally, the databases are arranged by subject.
CONCLUSION:
This paper discuss about the model, and special features of a Special Library Web page. It throws light on the basic structures of a Web page designing in the age of Digital era. Thus, creation of Web pages becomes one of the major activities of a library to make the User and other organization, to know our Library & its Services.