Janet Fletcher, The Library, Southern Cross University, PO Box 157, Lismore, NSW 2480, Australia jfletcher@scu.edu.au
Academic Libraries, Home Page Design, Distance Education, World Wide Web
As the number of university distance education courses increases, so does the demand to utilise new technologies such as the World Wide Web to provide the necessary support and guidance to distance education students. As a result, university libraries are preparing their own web home pages and associated web links as the means for distance education students to access library services, facilities and resources. Despite the home page being regarded as the primary orientation point, little research has been conducted into its effectiveness on the subsequent use of the library's electronic resources. This paper is based on a literature survey and a series of focus group interviews of Southern Cross University distance education students. The purpose of the research was to identify criteria which should be incorporated in the design of a university's library home page to ensure that it is appropriate for the study needs of distance education students.