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The purpose of this paper is to present a detailed plan of research on the information architecture of digital library websites.

The research plan was prepared on the basis of a critical analysis of the scientific literature concerning the areas and criteria for the analysis and evaluation of the information architecture of digital resources. The evaluation criteria selected in individual areas of information architecture and the entire evaluation model were tested on the example of Europeana. The study proposes criteria for all areas of information architecture: service identity, organizational system, labeling system and navigation system.

The proposed research model containing areas and criteria for assessing usefulness from the point of view of information architecture may complement the methodology for assessing digital libraries. In a structured manner, it presents areas important for building good digital resources together with criteria for heuristic evaluation. This thesis is confirmed by a study conducted on the example of Europeana.

For a more precise assessment of quality, you can add to the proposed criteria related to the information architecture the criteria proposed by Nielsen or other authors. These include, e.g. help users recognize, diagnose and recover from errors, result relevance, consistency of terminology and specific action conventions and an appropriate visual presentation.

The model can be used to assess the quality of websites of various digital libraries.

The methodology of assessing the quality of digital libraries is in the stage of formation and development. Such studies can apply evaluation criteria prepared to analyze all kinds of information systems and most of all web pages. At the beginning of the 21st century, concepts of using information architecture principles to design and evaluate digital libraries’ usability began to take shape. However, no detailed criteria for evaluating digital libraries based on the principles of information architecture have been presented.

In an era of unprecedented technological innovation and evolving user expectations and information seeking behaviour, we are arguably now an online society, with digital services increasingly common and increasingly preferred. As a trusted information provider, libraries are in an advantageous position to respond, but this requires integrated strategic and enterprise architecture planning, for information technology (IT) has evolved from a support role to a strategic role, providing the core management systems, communication networks and delivery channels of the modern library. Furthermore, IT components do not function in isolation from one another but are interdependent elements of distributed and multidimensional systems encompassing people, processes and technologies, which must consider social, economic, legal, organisational and ergonomic requirements and relationships, as well as being logically sound from a technical perspective. Strategic planning provides direction, while enterprise architecture strategically aligns and holistically integrates business and information system architectures. While challenging, such integrated planning should be regarded as an opportunity for the library to evolve as an enterprise in the digital age, or at minimum, to simply keep pace with societal change and alternative service providers. Without strategy, a library risks being directed by outside forces with independent motivations and inadequate understanding of its broader societal role. Without enterprise architecture, it risks technological disparity, redundancy and obsolescence. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, this conceptual chapter provides an integrated framework for strategic and architectural planning of digital library services. The concept of the library as an enterprise is also introduced.

Academic libraries have witnessed huge changes due to internal and external factors. Recent evidence shows that there is a lack of interest in process analysis within academic libraries. There is a lot written on the need to change academic libraries but there is little analytical research that investigates processes, in terms of the process architecture. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

The modelling tool used is Architecture of Integrated Information Systems (ARIS).

ARIS can provide a process architecture and design for academic libraries that might raise questions later about procedures and some inefficiencies.

Library managers might need to learn new techniques.

There is a lot written on the need to change academic libraries but there is little analytical research that investigates processes, in terms of the process architecture. This research examines business process modelling for academic libraries, focusing on the process architecture, as a way of visualizing, understanding and documenting processes.

Mnemonics was a tool in classification and information seeking processes in pre-print libraries. The purpose of this paper is to study the role of spatial mnemonics in Hellenistic libraries, including the one in Alexandria.

Since library- and information science has not explored this subject in depth, philology, rhetoric, book-history and archeology constitute the core literature. From this literature, the role of mnemonics in the libraries is discussed.

A new description of the practice of classification and retrieval in Hellenistic libraries, based on spatial mnemonics.

This paper is a new analysis of spatial mnemonics in the Hellenistic libraries. As will become clear, they blend easily and logically with each other.

The purpose of this article is to provide a comprehensive literature review on the utilisation of intelligent agent technology in the library environment.

Research papers since 1990 on the use of various intelligent agent technologies in libraries are divided into two main application areas: digital library (DL), including agent‐based DL projects, multi‐agent architecture for DLs, intelligent agents for distributed heterogeneous information retrieval and agent support to information search process in DLs; and services in traditional libraries, including user interface for library information systems, automatic reference services and multi‐agent architecture for library services. For each paper on the topic, its new ideas or models, referred work, analyses, experiments, findings and conclusions are addressed.

The majority of the literature covers DLs and there have been fewer studies about services in traditional libraries. A variety of architecture, framework and models integrating agent technology in library systems or services are proposed, but only a few have been implemented in the practical environment. The application of agent technology is still at the research and experimentation stage. Agent technology has great potential in many areas in the library context; however it presents challenges to libraries that want to be involved in its adoption.

The survey has practical implications for libraries, librarians and computer professionals in developing projects that employ intelligent agent technology to meet end‐users' expectations as well as to improve information services within limited resources in library settings.

The paper provides a comprehensive survey on the development and research of intelligent agents in libraries in literature.

Collection assessment is an essential aspect of library collection development, especially for public institutions currently affected by financial budget cuts. Collection managers working with little to no budget have the task of establishing unconventional methods of selecting most relevant materials. This paper aims to demonstrate the correlation between a syllabi analysis, faculty survey and circulation statistics as a practical measure to enhance and expand the architecture library services at the City College of New York and in academia in general.

This study uses mixed use assessment strategies to evaluate a library collection. The scope of the study supports combining collection-based practices and use-based methods to gather two types of data: quantitative (including collection size and/or in-house use statistics) and qualitative (accomplished by user opinion surveys, focus groups and/or list checking).

Out of 74 architecture faculty members, 22 participated in a library survey to help uncover new opportunities for cross-collaboration. The findings simultaneously reinforce the importance of exploring syllabi and usage data as methods of assessment to reveal opportunities for cultivating library collections.

This paper will provide a better understanding of faculty perceptions to discover academic needs and achieve library integration into the design curriculum. The study demonstrates prospective directions for collection evaluation and faculty collaboration to open further opportunities for building a successful library.

The purpose of this paper is to provide some ideas concerning the design and implementation of the library virtual architecture and its relation to the psychology of information‐seeking behavior.

This paper is purely theoretical and speculative. No systematic design was involved.

The renovation of a library's “virtual space” can be as important as the renewal of the physical space. Many libraries are taking advantage of user‐centric design principles as they renew the physical layout and service orientation of their libraries from an architectural standpoint. These same principles can be applied to virtual architecture in order to provide a positive and successful user experience on web sites.

This paper may assist librarians in being more comprehensive in the planning of virtual architecture on web sites and in the creation of electronic finding aids.

Should be interesting to those librarians who focus in their daily work on issues of information architecture and web site usability. It may also be useful to those who work in some reference capacity or regularly assist patrons in finding information.

The catalog of a library's collection is the focal point of most major automated systems. It is certainly an essential tool, but it helps the user find monographs and journals only at the most general level. At the Georgia Institute of Technology Library, as at other libraries specializing in science and technology, having access at article level to journal literature is of primary importance. Therefore, when planning a major automated system, the library specified this type of access as a highly desirable component.

The study aims to focus on the present automation status of the college libraries with an objective to offer enhanced Web-based library service on an affordable virtualization on cloud computing model.

With Infrastructure as a Service (Infrastructure as a Service) delivery model, this study demonstrates how libraries of colleges/smaller institutes could be connected to cloud Library Management System infrastructure through internet or dedicated point-to-point WAN connectivity. The Software as a Service (SaaS) delivery model depicts how college libraries could form library consortium at its own private cloud environment with installation of the required LMS application, database, middleware and other prerequisites.

A cloud-based consortium approach for the college libraries will reduce the cost of purchasing hardware equipment and setting up of infrastructural facilities; relieve libraries of involving additional IT skilled manpower; foster collaborative approach with shared environment and minimise duplication in resource subscription.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the present study is the first of its kind in the light of shifting of infrastructure, software and hardware requirements of smaller libraries for cooperative sharing in both IaaS and SaaS cloud platform. The study delineates step by step how college libraries could effectively leverage the cooperative cloud architecture for enhanced library services to reach wider user community.

The paper aims to evaluate the usability of the website of Central Science Library (CSL), University of Delhi. Multi-method approach of evaluation is used with the use of standard checklist and questionnaire survey of representative users. Besides, the information architecture of the website under study is analysed in this paper.

Based on the literature review and the author’s experience, a usability assessment tool for library websites was developed by Pant (2013). It comprises standard checklist and questionnaire for users’ survey. In the present study, this framework was used to assess the usability of CSL website. The questionnaire survey of 35 representative users was conducted through random sampling. The results of both methods (standard checklist and questionnaire survey) were analysed for evaluating the website usability.

Need for improvement of the website was realised in terms of efficiency, effectiveness and learnability for better usability. Notice board, site search facility, list of services, FAQs and user guides were the most sought after features among others as per the analysis of the questionnaire survey. Besides, the need to enhance the visual appeal of the website was felt. However, information resources provided through the CSL website were found useful for users.

The paper presents an innovative multi-method approach of website usability assessment while considering six usability attributes: Usefulness, Efficiency, Effectiveness, Learnability, Satisfaction and Accessibility. The approach adopted in this paper is cost effective in comparison to formal usability tests and heuristic evaluation. Therefore, this framework is suitable for libraries having limited budget to ensure the user-centred library website with maximum usability. This paper encourages other libraries to conduct similar website usability evaluation to identify the usability problem areas and users’ perception for their respective website.