Do you have the right stuff?: Seven areas of expertise for successful web site design in libraries

Abstract

In the mid-1990s it was common for one person in the technology department to design or redesign the library's Web site. But today it is virtually impossible for one person, or even two or three, to create a user-centered Web design given the complexity of the Web environment and users' needs. This article explores the seven areas of expertise now necessary to create successful library Web sites: project management, information architecture, usability, access for people with disabilities, graphic design, content creation, and programming. The authors draw upon their collective experience in designing nine different library and university Web sites and in testing usability of four other library Web products. © 2001 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.