Designing Web Interfaces to Library Services and Resources.(Review)

Designing Web Interfaces to Library Services and Resources. By Kristen L. Garlock and Sherry Piontek. Chicago: American Library Association, 1999. 103p. $40 (ISBN 0-83890-0742-3) LC98-37981.

Design Wise: A Guide for Evaluating the Interface Design of Information Resources. By Alison J. Head. Medford, N.J.: Information Today, 1999. l96p. $29.95 (ISBN 0-910965-31-5) LC98-43724.

Since the early 1990s, as the World Wide Web became the chief means of providing access to a larger variety of information resources, there has been a steep learning curve for presenting information on the Web in creative, intuitive, and meaningful ways. Web design has become easier as better editing instruments and tools give Web authors more options for layout and presentation. Good software alone, however, does not ensure good design. These two books, with different but complementary goals, are welcome additions to the proliferating literature for information professionals on how to design Web interfaces for various user communities.

Today most libraries have a Web site that provides access to a wide variety of library services, including digital resources and a gateway to the Internet. Oarlock and Piontek have created a guidebook to show library staff how to maximize the Web for communicating with their user communities. They build on …