Revising Ready Reference Sites: Listening to Users through Server Statistics and Query Logs.

Although lists of ready reference Web sites are ubiquitous on library Web pages, little has been written about how these pages are used and what resources should be included. This article illustrates how server usage statistics, e-mail reference queries, and usability heuristics can be applied to create a more user-centered ready reference Web site, one that balances design, content, and functionality. Usage statistics at the University of Washington Libraries show that the Reference Tools page is used to access dictionaries, electronic journals, telephone directories, and encyclopedias most often and financial aid and consumer information least often. E-mail reference queries show what information users are seeking and the problems they face. This information was used to redesign the Reference Tools page into one that better meets user needs. ********** Not so long ago, when the Internet was new to libraries, we attempted to keep track of these new resources through an old-fashioned address book. In varied scripts, librarians would jot down the navigational path that led them to important Gopher sites: Gopher [right arrow] Preferred Gopher [right arrow] NCSU Library without Walls [right arrow] Discipline Specific Study Carrels [right arrow] Government and Law [right arrow] Supreme Court Rulings In thousands of address books kept at reference desks around the country, the exponential growth of the Internet is documented and the transition from gopher to Web can be seen. As the address books filled and as a few early adapters picked their way through HTML, these lists were translated into primitive Web pages. These electronic address books began as staff tools that over a course of a couple of years evolved into the electronic reference shelves and virtual reference desks found on many library home pages. Like many library Web pages, these ready reference pages reflect their library-centric origins and exemplify the "librarians know best syndrome." (1) We have created and organized our ready reference pages in our own image with little explicit acknowledgement of the user's needs and wants. How then do we begin to incorporate the user in the creation of a user-driven ready reference page? One way is through usability testing. Usability testing, which in its simplest rendition is noting how users perform typical tasks, is gaining ground in libraries. A survey by Popp found that 37% of Association for Research Libraries (ARL) members surveyed were doing some usability testing of their Web pages. Popp provides a succinct description of various methods of evaluating Web sites. (2) However usability testing is a formal process that can take considerable planning, time, and expense. What options do we have when usability testing is not feasible? At the University of Washington Libraries, we are attempting to create a more user-centered ready reference page by examining two types of data: server statistics and e-mail reference queries originating from the individual ready reference pages. By examining these data, we can discover which pages are the least and most heavily accessed and gain insights about the types of information users are seeking and problems they have locating that information within a ready reference page. We can then use this information to meet the challenge facing all webmasters--how to balance three often-conflicting elements: design, content, and functionality. Jevec discusses Web design in general; his discussion of issues and his emphasis on the user is relevant for ready reference page design. Some of the design, content, and functionality issues he addresses include redundancy, interface design, accessibility, site structure, and standards. (3) Literature Review The literature is bursting with articles on digital reference, real-time reference on the Web, and reviews of Web reference sources, but relatively little is written about those ubiquitous ready reference Web pages created by almost all academic libraries. …