A National Study of School Library Websites: Preliminary Design & Usability Guidelines

• In Event: SMT - Research in Educator Preparation, Evaluation and Multi-Media for School Media Centers

Short Description

This study examined the basic design layout, content, and usability of 300 randomly sampled elementary (n=100), middle school (n=100), and high school (n=100) library websites in the United States. The results suggest that the majority of sites were intended for students, but received low ratings on recommended youth-oriented website standards for cognitive, affective, and general design best-practices. General design layouts and content were identified. Major implications include the development of a best-practices checklist and establishment of preliminary design and content guidelines for school library websites.

Authors

• Anthony Chow, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

• Rebecca Morris, The University of North Carolina

• Samantha Lam, Smithfield Selma High School