Casey Fox
INSC 574
Assignment 3
Spring 2015
Visit at least five public library websites to see how visible adult services are. All the library
websites should have reasonably visible adult services. Justify why you selected a particular
library website for this assignment. How close is this information to the library's home
page. How attractive and useful is the adult services page? Which adult services are
available? Were any of these innovative? Would this content attract the adult user? How
might this aspect of the website be improved? For these questions, refer individually to
each library website. (at least 1500 words).
This report evaluates the websites of public library systems across the country to assess each
site’s presentation of its library’s adult services and programs. As many aspects of individuals’
lives (both recreational and professional) become increasingly Internet-centered, a library’s
website is at the front line when it comes to shaping users’ impressions of that library (Breeding,
2004). This project, in fact, is a prime example of this phenomenon, as the author will use only a
library’s website in her evaluation of its adult services and the promotion thereof.
The libraries chosen for this project are located across the United States, but all serve
counties of roughly the same population with roughly the same number of branch libraries.
Population estimates are all from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2013 population estimate, searchable
at American Fact Finder (http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml).
Evaluated library systems are:

The Knox County Public Library, Tennessee

The Sonoma County Library, California

The Allen County Public Library, Indiana
2

The Genesee District Library, Michigan

The York County Public Library, Pennsylvania
Just like a successful library, a successful library website should match its offerings to the
needs of its users. It should also be efficient, flexible and easy to navigate (Jasek, 2007). A 2006
study found that usability is by far the most important criterion for users evaluating digital
libraries and their websites (Xie, 2006). With regard to adult services, this means that a user who
visits a library website seeking information about programs and services should be able to find it
quickly and easily, and that it should be presented in a clear and informative manner. For this
report, the author will utilize the following criteria when evaluating each website:

Proximity to and ease of location from the library home page

Presentation of information: level of attractiveness and usefulness

Variety and quality of adult services available

Appeal of content to the intended audience
When appropriate, the author will also make suggestions for improvement in any of these
categories.
3
Knox County Public Library, Tennessee
County population: 444,622
Percentage of population age 20 years or older: 79.1%
County seat: Knoxville
Number of library locations: 18
Library website: http://www.knoxlib.org/
Figure 0-1: Knox County Public Library Website Home Page
Nearly 80% of Knox County residents are over the age of 19 years, suggesting that the
adult audience is an important one for the Knox County Public Library (KCPL) (Knoxville
Metropolitan Planning Council, 2015). Evaluating KCPL’s website will help indicate what the
Library views as the needs of this population.
4
Proximity to and ease of location from the library home page
The front page of www.knoxlib.org (Figure 1) features six main categories for
navigation: Explore the Collection, Calendar & Programs, About, Local & Family History, Kid
Zone and Teen Central. While Kid Zone and Teen Central are clearly aimed at particular
audiences, there is no clear path to a comprehensive adult services section. One may infer that
anything not in the teen and child category is adult services, but this is not made explicit. Upon
scrolling down, there are additional categories for navigation under the headings “News and
noteworthy”, “Popular” and “Upcoming Events” (Figure 2). There is still no single link
dedicated to adult services.
Figure 2: Knox County Public Library Home Page, Continued
5
Rather than an all-encompassing page for adult services, KCPL arranges these services
by type. Clicking on “Calendar & Programs” will take a user to a page that includes all KCPL
programs, not just those for adults. It is possible to filter programs by type and location, but
while children’s and teen programs are again their own categories, adult programs are not (figure
3).
Figure 3: Knox County Public Library Event Filters
If the user returns to the home page and chooses “Explore the Collection”, he or she will
be taken to a page with the following categories:

E-Media

New at the Library

Local and Family History

Encyclopedias, Magazines and Newspapers

Subject Guides

Databases A-Z

Kid Zone
6

Teen Central
Again, there are separate categories for children’s and teen services, so it is incumbent on the
user to infer that everything else is meant for adults.
After further searching, additional adult services may be found via the front page by
clicking the “About” button, followed by the “Services” button on the left-hand navigation bar
on the About page.
Presentation of information: level of attractiveness and usefulness
KCPL’s website is attractive and appears to be easily navigable. The color scheme is
pleasant and the different sections on each page appear tidy and organized. Upon further
exploration, however, its structure is not as consistent as it could be; specifically the apparent
arrangement of information as children’s, teen, and everything else. In Evaluation of digital
libraries: Criteria and problems from users' perspectives, Xie writes that “navigation efficiency
is another key criterion for interface usability. Being intuitive is the basic requirement for
navigation” (Xie, 2006). The muddled navigation of KCPL’s website contributes to a less
efficient experience for the user.
Variety and quality of adult services available and appeal to intended audience
Although they are not collected in a single area on the website, KCPL’s offerings for
adults cover a broad range of services and programs. Once the user filters out children’s and teen
programs on the “Calendar & Programs” page, a wide variety of events for adults remain. These
include book clubs, play readings, lectures, computer workshops, genealogy classes, a Scrabble
club, knitting groups and a songwriter’s group.
In addition to events and programs, KCPL offers many services of use to adults. The
“Explore the Collection” section of the website informs the user that KCPL provides access to
7
downloadable ebooks and audiobooks, streaming video, nearly 75 databases and local archives.
Other services, located on the “Services” page in the “About” section, include homebound and
disability services, interlibrary loan, Internet and computer access and reference help (either
online, over the phone or in person).
The wide range of KCPL’s adult programs and services suggests broad appeal to the
intended audience. Though KCPL does not explicitly call them “senior services”, services such
as Books for the Homebound and an extensive audiobook collection are among the American
Library Association’s recommended ways to serve older adults (American Library Association,
2010). Additionally, the ALA suggests book discussion groups and computer classes as
important adult services, which KCPL provides to its patrons (American Library Association,
2015).
8
Sonoma County Library, California
County population: 495,025
Percentage of population age 20 years or older: 75.8%
County seat: Santa Rosa
Number of library locations: 16
Library website: http://sonomalibrary.org/
Figure 4: Sonoma County Library Home Page
Proximity to and ease of location from the library home page
The front page of the Sonoma County Library’s (SCL) website is laid out in a similar
manner to KCPL’s. At the top it features several comparable navigation headings, including
“Events”, “Hours & Locations”, “Kids” and “Teens” (see Figure 4). There is no obvious
dedicated adult services page, and as with KCPL, the user is meant to infer that if something
9
does not state it is for children or teens, it must be for adults. Unlike KCPL, however, each of
these choices is a drop-down menu rather than a button, which streamlines navigation for the
user. Hovering the cursor over the “Books & More” heading brings up a menu that includes
reader’s advisory services, book clubs and information about SCL’s adult literacy program. The
“Research” heading brings up menus for the uncommon phrase “premium research sources”,
which upon examination one can discover that this is SCL’s term for databases to which they
subscribe. User-centered websites should avoid professional jargon, and this may be an instance
where best practices were not used (Jasek, 2007).
Events and programs are reachable via SCL’s front page as well, and users may filter
them by audience (see figure 5). Audience choices are adults, teens, school-age children and
preschool children.
Figure 5: Sonoma County Library Event Filters
Although there is no clear section devoted to adult services, SCL’s use of drop-down
menus ensures that most of the site’s content is reachable from the front page, eliminating the
need for users to click through multiple pages in search of the information they need.
Presentation of information: level of attractiveness and usefulness
SCL’s website is attractive, professional-looking and calm – it features a slow-fading
slide show and muted colors. The font it utilizes is thin and rather small, however, and could
possibly prove difficult for some patrons to read (see Figure 6). The use of drop-down menus
10
adds to the usefulness and ease of navigability. It also integrates Google Translate and users
may translate pages into the language of their choice via a button at the top of each page.
Figure 6: Sonoma County Library Website Font
Variety and quality of adult services available and appeal to intended audience
Filtering SCL’s event calendar by audience reveals a full slate of programs aimed toward
adults. These include free tax assistance, gardening workshops, computer and Internet classes,
book discussions, author talks, readers’ theatre and live music. Computer classes display a lack
of variety, as they are limited to beginning Internet and computer introduction. Increasing the
kinds of classes would provide more learning opportunities for SCL’s patrons. Additionally,
while it is possible for users to filter programs for adults in general, there is no filter for services
dedicated to older adults, specifically. As 29.2% of Sonoma County’s residents are more than 55
years old, this may be an area where SPL’s website can be improved (United States Census
Bureau, 2015).
11
Allen County Public Library, Indiana
County population: 424,122
Percentage of population age 20 years or older: 70.4%
County seat: Fort Wayne
Number of library locations: 14
Library website: http://www.acpl.lib.in.us/
Figure 7: Allen County Public Library Website Home Page
Proximity to and ease of location from the library home page
The Allen County Public Library’s website is unique among sites reviewed thus far in
that most of its services, particularly those for adults, are listed on its front page (see Figure 7).
12
The top navigation bar leads to information about the library itself, children’s services, teen
services and genealogy. In fact, the “Teens” and “Genealogy” buttons take users to external
websites via new pop-up windows (the ACPL teen services blog “Notes from the Underground”
and ACPL’s Genealogy Center, respectively). There is a second top navigation bar that points
the user to locations, hours, events, a sign-up for ACPL’s e-newsletter “What’s Happening” and
ACPL’s Ask-a-Librarian service. Many of these open in new pop-up windows as well.
Most adult services are listed on either the right- or left-hand navigation bars, and those
on the right-hand side are static throughout the site, so users can always navigate to them. Major
categories are “Research”, “Services”, “Beyond Books”, “Library Catalog”, “BookTalk”,
“ACPL Blogs” and “Community” and subcategories are listed below each. While this layout
does not make the most attractive website, it does ensure that users can access many of the site’s
pages from one central location. Additionally, by putting children’s and teen services in separate
sections accessible from the front page, ACPL implies that everything listed on the front page is
for adults (although it is not explicitly stated).
13
Figure 8: ACPL Event Calendar and Filters
Clicking the “Events” tab on the top navigation bar opens a new pop-up window with
ACPL’s interactive calendar (Figure 8). Users may easily filter events and program by location,
type or audience. The audience selections (Figure 9) include both adults and seniors. Clicking on
an event takes the user to page that provides further information and an online registration form,
if applicable. Between the extensive services links on ACPL’s front page and the pop-up event
calendar, it is possible to navigate to the majority of the Library’s events without ever leaving the
front page.
14
Figure 9: ACPL Event Filters, Detail
There is a catalog search bar on the front page, but no option for searching the site.
Additionally, while the events calendar is comprehensive and interactive, it is the only place on
the site that many programs and events are listed or explained. For example, the author could
find no page that explained or described ACPL’s computer classes other than the event calendar.
Clicking the “Computers and Internet” button on the front page leads to a page that does not
15
even mention the classes. If a user did not look on the event calendar, there would be nothing to
indicate that ACPL offers any.
Presentation of information: level of attractiveness and usefulness
While ACPL’s website provides a large amount of information and content for the user, it
is unattractive and unprofessional looking. Most of the site’s pages are extremely text-heavy,
which is not a recommended best practice for web design (Morris, 2015). Research published in
ACM Transactions on the Web suggests that web users read between 20% and 28% of the text on
a webpage each time they visit it, so balancing the amount of text on each page is recommended
for users to easily process all of a website’s provided information (Weinreich, Herder, Obendorf,
& Mayer, 2008).
The ACPL webpage does have a scrolling slideshow in its front page; otherwise the site
is not particularly dynamic. The colors are unattractive and it appears there is little to no graphic
design. Several headings feature orange text on a gray background, which is difficult to read. As
mentioned above, there is no site search bar, only one for a catalog search. This means a user has
to find the information he or she seeks by clicking through various pages until it is found.
Adding a search bar could greatly increase the usefulness of the site.
Variety and quality of adult services available and appeal to intended audience
The event calendar shows a full slate of programs for adults and seniors. These include a
wide array of computer classes including Internet Basics, Adobe Illustrator and CSS and HTML.
Additional classes range from 3D printing to sewing to soldering. ACPL offers tax assistance,
book clubs, genealogy, chess clubs, craft clubs and quilting clubs (ACPL, 2015a). It also offers
community meeting rooms, homebound book delivery and an audio reading service for visually
impaired patrons (ACPL, 2015b).
16
ACPL offers a wide variety of services and programs to appeal to adults with varied
needs and interests. Programs include those to educate, those to entertain and those to inform.
The computer classes range from beginning to advanced to serve users of different skill levels.
As 15.2% of Allen County residents are older than 61 years, ACPL’s services for homebound
and disabled patrons would likely be of interest to this population (United States Census Bureau,
2015). Many programs appeal to different kinds of hobbyists and crafters, and the various book
clubs cater to different literary interests, from cookbook enthusiasts to lovers of British Humor
(ACPL, 2015a).
17
Genesee District Library, Michigan
County population: 415,376
Percentage of population age 20 years or older: 72.6%
County seat: Flint
Number of library locations: 19 (serves all of Genesee County except the city of Flint, which has
its own library)
Library website: https://www.thegdl.org/index.php
Figure 10: Genesee District Library Website Home Page
18
Proximity to and ease of location from the library home page
Patrons primarily navigate the website for the Genesee District Library in Michigan by
using the top navigation bar (see Figure 10). The category choices are “Home”, “Catalog”,
“Resources”, “Events”, “Services”, “The GDL” and “Contact Us” and clicking on each reveals a
drop-down menu with fairly comprehensive content access. There are no clear age-based
categories on its front page. However, the “Resources” tab opens to reveal a list of options that
includes “Children and Teens”. There is no all-encompassing “Adults” option, but, as with the
previously evaluated websites, the choices that are not designated for children or teens are
implied to be for adults. Under “Resources”, users may choose “Art, Books and Music”,
“Business Center”, “Education and Employment”, “Health, Science and Technology”, “History
and Family”, “Local News and Government” and “Personal Finance” – all ostensibly adult
services. The drop-down menu remains constant on all of GDL’s pages, making navigation
consistent and simple.
The “Events” tab on the navigation bar drops down to reveal several options when
looking for programs and events: “Events Calendar”, “Events by Location”, “Events by
Category” and “Search Events”. This gives the user the freedom to seek information in the way
that he or she prefers. “Events by Category” provides options for browsing by audience,
including adults (see Figure 11). As a result, users may see a listing of adult programs within two
clicks of the GDL home page.
Presentation of information: level of attractiveness and usefulness
The GDL website is not particularly attractive. The purple, lavender and red color
scheme is garish and the font is unremarkable. Its layout does implement best practices with
regard to consistent logos and navigation, and the drop down menus cut down on front page text.
19
(Morris, 2015). As with ACPL, however, there is no site search bar, only a catalog search, so
users looking for a specific piece of information must click through until they find it.
Figure 11: GDL Event Categories
Variety and quality of adult services available and appeal of content to the intended audience
The GDL website showcases a variety of services aimed at different adult audiences. The
Library offers a Business Center that has its own blog (see Figure 12), personal finance
information, yoga classes, book clubs, regular folklore classes for adults with special needs,
movie screenings and TED talk viewing groups. It has genealogy services and many online
databases. The author could find no explicit senior services, but it does offer services for
homebound patrons and facilitates sign-ups for visually impaired patrons to receive talking
books in the mail (Genesee District Library, 2015). GDL provides adult services that are
informational, educational, cultural and recreational, suggesting that it serves various needs of its
community.
20
Figure 12: GDL’s Business Center Blog
York County Public Library, Pennsylvania
County population: 437,846
Percentage of population age 20 years or older: 74.5%
County seat: York
Number of library locations: 13
Library website: http://www.yorklibraries.org
21
Figure 13: YCL Home Page
Proximity to and ease of location from the library home page
The website for the York County Library (YCL) provides very limited information about
its adult services, to the extent that the author could not even confirm whether or not many
common ones are offered. It offers no site search option, so this was not an option for seeking
out particular programs.
Presentation of information: level of attractiveness and usefulness
YCL’s website is the least useful of any sites reviewed for this report. It provides very
little information about the Library’s services, resources and collection, and is not particularly
easy to navigate. There is link to an event calendar on the front page, but it is a picture of a
calendar and says “What’s Happening” rather than a clear text link. The author visited the home
page three times before the image registered as a link to the calendar. Services are listed by
library branch, so it is necessary to visit the page for each location to see what programs and
22
services it offers. This makes it difficult for a patron for whom the service is more important than
the location – he or she has to wade through each branch page to find the service sought.
The “Resources” tab on the top navigation bar only links to online resources – databases
and helpful websites – rather than services offered by YCL itself. The site features a link to its
2011-12 annual report, which turned out to provide the most information on how the Library
works to serve its patrons and community. Unfortunately, it is out of date and most site users are
unlikely to look at the annual report if they are looking for information about Summer Reading,
so this information should be available elsewhere on the site.
Visually, yorklibraries.org manages to be both cluttered and lacking in interest. The
contrast of white text on a dark background makes it easy to read, but the font is basic and the
decorative floral background is distracting. It retains the top navigation bar throughout the site,
but there is little content contained therein, so they are not particularly useful.
Variety and quality of adult services available and appeal of content to the intended audience
As YCL’s website provides very little information about its adult services, the event
calendar is the primary online source for programs and services for adults. Users do have the
ability to filter the calendar by audience (see Figure 14), so it is possible to see those events
aimed solely at adults. Programs offered include book clubs, craft and knitting classes, writing
workshops, tax and financial help sessions and e-reader help. The number and variety of
programs seems small for a public library system with thirteen branches and an eight million
dollar budget, particularly when compared with other libraries serving similar populations with
similar budgets.
23
Figure 14: YCL Event Calendar and Filters
Conclusion
After evaluating the adult services of five similarly sized library systems that serve
similarly sized populations, the author concludes that adults are the assumed default users of
public library websites. Most sites evaluated specifically label their offerings aimed at children,
teens and, to a lesser extent, seniors, but do not tend to do this for adults. Users are expected to
understand that unless labeled for a specific age group, services and programs are meant for
adults. Additionally, most libraries evaluated provide a variety of activities that help serve the
informational, educational and entertainment needs of their constituents.
24
References
ACPL. (2015b). About NEIRRS. Retrieved February 28, 2015, from Allen County Public
Library: http://www.acpl.lib.in.us/home/neirrs
ACPL. (2015a). Event Calendar. Retrieved February 28, 2015, from Allen County Public
Library: http://host5.evanced.info/allenco/evanced/eventcalendar.asp
American Library Association. (2015). Adult Library Services. Retrieved February 20, 2015,
from The American Library Association:
http://www.ala.org/tools/atoz/adultservices/adult_lib_svcs
American Library Association. (2010). Keys to Engaging Older Adults @ Your Library.
Chicago: American Library Association.
Breeding, M. (2004). Essential Elements of a Library Web Site. Computers in Libraries , 25.
Genesee District Library. (2015). Community Outreach. Retrieved March 1, 2015, from Genesee
District Library: https://www.thegdl.org/index.php/services/community-outreach
Jasek, C. (2007). How to Design Library Websites to Maximize Usability. San Diego: Library
Connect.
Knoxville Metropolitan Planning Council. (2015). Population by Age. Retrieved February 20,
2015, from East Tennessee Index:
http://www.etindex.org/demographics/population/population-by-age/charts
Morris, T. (2015). Web Design Best Practices Checklist. Retrieved February 28, 2015, from
Terry Ann Morris, Ed.D: Web Design and Instructional Technology:
http://terrymorris.net/bestpractices/
United States Census Bureau. (2015). ACS Demographic and Housing Estimages. Retrieved
February 28, 2015, from American FactFinder:
http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=CF
25
Weinreich, H., Herder, E., Obendorf, H., & Mayer, M. (2008). Not Quite Average: An Empirical
Study of Web Use. ACM Transactions on the Web .
Xie, H. (2006). Evaluation of Digital Libraries: Criteria and Problems from Users' Perspectives.
Library and Information Science Research , 433-452.