Intranet‐based service delivery – making it work
| Published date | 01 February 2001 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000005399 |
| Date | 01 February 2001 |
| Pages | 19-25 |
| Author | Mary Peterson |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
Intranet-based service
delivery ± making it
work
Mary Peterson
Introduction
When three libraries on our campus
amalgamated in January 1999, it was decided
to produce a comprehensive Web site to
deliver as many of our services as possible to
our clients via our intranet. This task fell to
me, and prior to setting out I looked at as
many documents on Web site design for
service provision as I could find. I quickly
discovered that an intranet site can be quite a
different animal from an external Web site,
and my search therefore focussed on intranet
development. I found several helpful sites on
general Web site design, but I was unable to
locate anything specifically dealing with
intranet delivery of library services.
The production of my Web site was
therefore a journey into new territory, and in
this paper I would like to sketch out the stages
by which the site was planned and developed.
What you want your site to do
One of the best pieces of advice gleaned from
my reading was to plan the site outline before
beginning to build it. The first thing was to
decide what it will be used for. It might
include:
.Bringing the library service to your
patrons' desktops.
.Being a vehicle for delivering the
catalogue or the library's databases.
.Reducing the number of routine trips
your patrons have to make to the library
for things like collecting forms, delivering
forms, checking the journal display etc.
.Providing an alternative to paper
newsletters or notices.
.Reducing paper use.
You will probably think of more.
Differences from a traditional service
Web technology offers flexibility. Live links
can be made from the ``brochure'' by using
mailto (links for contacting staff). Links can
be made to library forms, the catalogue can
provide links to Internet resources and hence
transcend the library boundaries.
An added bonus is that a Web service is also
available around the clock.
The author
Mary Peterson is Deputy, Library and Educational
Information Services, Royal Adelaide Hospital/Institute of
Medical and Veterinary Science, Adelaide, South
Australia. E-mail: mary.peterson@imvs.sa.gov.au
Keywords
Library services, Internet, Design, Library users, Training,
Intranets
Abstract
Discusses how to deliver a library service via an
intranet or the Internet, using our library as an
example. The main emphasis is on setting up a service
to suit an online environment, designing user-friendly
pages to ensuring acceptance of the new service and
training your users to make full use of it
Electronic access
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19
The Electronic Library
Volume 19 .Number 1 .2001 .pp. 19±24
#MCB University Press .ISSN 0264-0473
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