Describes the MyLibrary concept of personalization or customization of library user Web pages. Discusses benefits for libraries and patrons, as well as technical issues to consider. Highlights personalization projects at Cornell and UCLA. A sidebar gives a list of online sources. (AEF)

Delineates a user-based design process for Web sites, comprised of four stages: information-gathering; development; test and evaluation; and implementation. Operationalizing definitions of design criteria and translating the criteria into Web page features are also addressed. (PEN)

This paper summarizes a 10-month long research project conducted at the IBM T.J. Watson Research Center aimed at developing the design concept of a multi-institutional art and culture web site. The work followed a user-centered design (UCD) approach, where interaction with prototypes and feedback from potential users of the web site were sought…

Gutman's means-end theory, widely used in market research, identifies three levels of abstraction: attributes, consequences, and values--associated with the use of products, representing the process by which physical attributes of products gain personal meaning for users. The primary methodological manifestation of means-end theory is the…

Discusses the use of contextual information for identifying and understanding users' information needs and presents an approach that has potential for studying Web users' search contexts by automatically grouping a user's consecutive search activities on the same search topic into one session, based in part on statistical data from Web search…

Presents overviews of three relatively new sites that have much in common with the directory "Yahoo!"-Snap (http://www.snap.com), LookSmart (http://www.looksmart.com), and eBLAST (http://www.eBLAST.com). Describes findings of sample searches to help users compare and contrast the type of results that can be expected from each directory.…

Examines Web sites on the Internet that were created especially for teenagers by various public libraries. Highlights include young adult areas and services in actual library buildings; a list of outstanding teen Web sites; and a list of factors to consider when creating a young adult Web page. (LRW)

Explores business-related sites on the Russian Web and estimates usability for the Western user by focusing on the following: type of businesses; language on sites; communication capability; and response time of site servers. Findings suggest the Russian Web is more usable in terms of language and communication capability than ordering capability…

Reviews some of the factors which an organization (i.e. company, university, government, institution, etc.) may consider when deciding whether or not to establish a presence on the World Wide Web or, if it already has one, whether it is using it optimally. Topics include Internet capabilities; types of information services; user needs; and access.…

Defines two meanings of information design: the overall process of developing a successful document; and the way the information is presented on the screen (layout, typography, color, and so forth). Discusses the future importance of both of these meanings of information design, in terms of design for the web and single-sources (planning…

This paper identifies World Wide Web site characteristics and attributes and groups them in a hierarchy. The primary goal is to classify the elements that might be part of a quantitative evaluation and comparison process. In order to effectively select quality characteristics, different users' needs and behaviors are considered. Following an…

With the Internet taking a dominant role in corporate training, education, retail, and customer based product exploration, authors of Web-based information need to ensure that the media they deliver is accessible to the widest possible audience. Whether users have a visual, auditory, physical, or developmental disability, accessible multimedia can…

Searching for useful information on the World Wide Web has become increasingly difficult. While Internet search engines have been helping people to search on the Web, low recall rate and outdated indexes have become more and more problematic as the Web grows. In addition, search tools usually present to the user only a list of search results,…

Provides an overview of this special issue on organizing resources on the Internet and discusses metadata. Topics include full-text indexing; adding additional data, or metadata; user needs; standard library cataloging; examples of the use of metadata; development of GEM (Gateway to Educational Materials); Dublin Core; and OCLC efforts. (LRW)

Reports on the human factors considered in the design and implementation of a digital museum for historic costume. Starting with an elicitation and analysis of the qualitative and functional needs of its users, an evolutionary prototype was developed for a model of digital archiving that delivers a gratifying Web experience, visually and…