Community College

Community College of Rhode Island
http://www.ccri.edu/lerc/lib.htm

1.) Overall Appearance/Design - Good use of graphics with the school name and logo at the top of the page. Main headings (Library Databases, Web Resources, Library Information, etc.) are well designed with larger, bold fonts.

2.) Site Navigability - Quick Search and Quick Links functions at the top of the page. Library Resources heading lists HELIN Library Catalog, an excellent search engine utilizing Keyword, Author, Title, options as well as LC Subject and MeSH to search for books. Drop down menu can also limit search to specific materials (journals, films, government publications) and different organizations and universities. Library Information section has links to conveniently take the user to Directions, Hours, Staff Directory or they can scroll down the page.

3.) Use of Emerging Technology - The site has a link to "Ask A Librarian", a feature which allows students to e-mail reference questions to the staff.

4.) Quality of Content - Catalog is impressive with the ability to look up MeSH headings. The community college has a limited access to the number of periodical databases that students can use, but has a larger number (several thousand) of E-Journals. CCRI Library is a member of the Higher Education Library Information Network (HELIN). HELIN is a consortium consisting of approximately eleven colleges and universities in the area including Brown University, University of Rhode Island and the Association of Rhode Island Health Sciences Libraries (ARIHSL). The collections of the other HELIN member libraries are open to CCRI students for borrowing of materials and resource sharing.

5.) Site Management and Communication - Site contains hyperlinked Statement of Responsibility, an e-mail for comments and suggestions, a "Last Modified" statement and a copyright statement.

Additional Comments - The library Home page has a simple, yet effective layout with the placement of its hyperlinks. The "Quick Search" and "Quick Link" boxes are available for simple searches. "Jim Salisbury's Five Favorites" (one of the reference librarians) has a link to his five favorite books. Books in the list are linked to the catalog to notify the users on their status within the collection. A "What's New" link gives users information on recently acquired library materials.