Web-based Instruction: A Guide for Libraries (review)

Web-based Instruction: A Guide for Libraries,Susan Sharpless Smith. Chicago: American Library Association, 2001. 194 p. $36.00 (ISBN 0-8389-0805-5)

The practice of delivering library instruction via the World Wide Web has become extremely popular and instruction librarians are eager for any new literature that provides direction in the creation, design, management, and assessment of these electronic tools. Susan Smith (Technology Team Leader for the Z. Smith Reynolds Library at Wake Forest University), whose expertise is in the development of educational Web sites, has written a fundamental guide in this area.

While this book is a good text for the novice, it also provides plenty of new information for the high tech Web developer. It is written in an easy-to-read format yet does not exclude the technical components necessary to create an effective Web learning environment. Smith progresses from developing simple Web pages to lengthier tutorials that can include multimedia and interactivity features. She provides thorough explanations about software, hardware, and peripherals along with the advantages and disadvantages of using different types of software and coding. Some product recommendations are offered and many entries contain support information for retrieving shareware and freeware. These resources, often better than commercial products, are helpful to the low-budget library, but useful for all.

When developing Web tools it is easy to overlook the needs and concerns of the end-user; Smith does not. Her chapter on user interface design should be required reading for all Web developers. The author reviews instructional design and provides helpful guidelines and principles for making a user-friendly environment. Anyone can put up a Web page filled with bells and whistles but Smith points out that a successful instructional page is one that focuses on the audience's needs. She emphasizes that simple is better and provides strategies to accomplish this goal. A concise section on ensuring that Web tutorials meet the standards for access by disabled users is included.

To make a Web tool that is aesthetically pleasing to the user, the designer needs to take visual design into account. The book dedicates an entire chapter to this topic, outlining practical use of color (it even includes a chart on color meanings and perspectives!), font size and type, backgrounds, and other visual enhancements.

The overview on evaluation and testing methods is especially informative. This is one of the trickiest parts in developing Web-based instruction. Traditional classroom sessions provide instant feedback, good and bad. It is more difficult to determine when and if remote instruction works. Ms. Smith supplies numerous techniques to measure the effectiveness of Web-based tutorials.

The author addresses key issues for developing Web-based library instruction, including administrative components for initiating projects: staffing requirements, financial commitments, time lines, and hardware/software needs. One lacuna in this section is a discussion of the maintenance of Web resources--link rot, changes in product interfaces, and "upgrades" make it difficult to keep a Web resource up to date in this ever-changing world. Neophytes, as well as the seasoned Web developer, need to be aware of this so they can design and create tutorials with a workable maintenance factor.

The book includes a healthy section of additional resources. Citations, including URLs, provide information on accessibility, testing, user interface design, Web editors, and script languages. This monograph is chock-full of hints, tips, and resourceful information that will enable even the beginner to become a competent Web developer.