Staff Focus Group Comments (Session 2)

Web Site Improvements to Serve Needs
Staff email addresses should be made safe from crawlers.
Second pages just lists of links; not dynamic, no color.
Library resource guides are indistinguishable
Uniformity of second pages, header, footers, colors
Jargony (reQuest is awful).
More visual cues to lead patrons to resources
Fade over off campus information
Instruction page – blue on blue = bad; again consistency in design
Revise – register for workshop.
Hard to navigate workshop page.
What will happen with Law School and Health Center?
Way too much text everywhere.
Staff directory user unfriendly.
Pick size of font.

Improvements to Better Serve Needs – Home Page
Less stuff.
Too busy – not easy on eye.
Drab. Doesn’t take advantage that web is not paper
Too much jargon, e.g., DD/ILL. What does it mean to students?
Focus on meaningful concepts for users, not functional concepts only we understand
Updated imagery (H. Potter, old computers)
Quick search on home page; search box is bad. Don’t know whether it searches the catalog or the web site
Link to online resources has other types of links behind it.
Using the Library, About the Library – confusing, jargon
What does catalog mean to students? Ditto Homer?
Live help graphic is awful.
Colors are drab, boring.
Customize This Site is misleading.
Ability to really customize home page.
Use tabs for navigation – one for students; one for faculty; one for staff.
Quick Links attempt to fix the current page. If we fixed the page, we wouldn’t need Quick Links.
Jargon. What is Dodd appended to Archives & Special Collections?
Visual calendar with RSS feeds for staff and patrons for workshops.
RSS feeds.
Include the Learning Commons.
Keep news but more blog-like and with RSS feeds.

What’s Missing from the Web Site?
Calendar
Audio/visual stuff as a means of presenting information or showing staff.
Real chat, IM.
Help – no visual table of contents; help navigation, signposts.
Link about Bookworms, newsstand.
Information about wireless access.
Virtual tour of library – staff and physical spaces.
Map showing location of libraries on campus and RCLs.
Catalog search box.
No sense of humor, no life, website is very serious. Comic, trivia of day.
Interface for PDA and mobile phone.
New stuff this week.

Section Used Most Frequently
Database finder
ERM
Staff would use it if it worked (?)
Most used databases to get to WorldCat
Homer
Copyright
Regionals
ILL
eJournal Locator
Hours
RefWorks
Research by Subject
Request to Purchase
Reserve

What Other Internet Resources Do You Use for Classroom or Research?
Google
Facebook
Wikipedia
Twitter
Flickr
YouTube
Meebo
Amazon
UConn Co-op
Other UConn Stuff
UConn Phone Book
World Clock
Weather/News
HuskyCT
Bloglines/Google Reader
Checks One Card value
Google Maps, Images, Scholar, Book Project