Website Evaluation: The Library of Congress

As one might expect, the United States Government’s Library of Congress website contains a vast wealth of information. The site exists as a means to advertise current exhibits at the Library of Congress, keep the public posted on new findings and additions to the collection, offers resources for teachers, and perhaps most importantly gives the public access to the main catalogue. From the site’s main page, various links bring visitors to an assortment of other pages. The Library of Congress web page has some wonderful content and possesses top rate scholarship, though lacks consistency and can be somewhat overwhelming to the average web browser.

When first arriving to the Library of Congress home page, the viewer is confronted with a constantly changing banner advertising the Library’s exhibitions and pages focusing on particular topics (i.e. Veterans’ history, Thomas Jefferson). The page divides into roughly three columns, with a listing of general resources and information on the far left hand column. Other columns include “Library Highlights,” which brings attention to recent additions or developments (African American History Month, headline news, etc.), a section on Popular Topics and Collections, News From the Library, and the Library at Work. Links at the very top of the page bring visitors to some frequently requested spots: Ask a Librarian, Digital Collections, and Library Catalogs. As is standard with many large history websites, and websites in general, a search engine box resides in the upper right hand corner of the page.

The creators of Library of Congress website have a huge responsibility. The largest library in the world requires an extravagant and full website. It appears that almost anything a visitor could want can be found on the site, whether by scrolling through the various pages or using the search engine. It provides resources (easily broken down into links) for kids and families, librarians, publishers, researchers, teachers, and regular visitors---the site covers all its potential web browsers.

While the site provides a vast assortment of information, that also proves to its major downfall. There is so much information collected on one page it’s difficult to know where to start. The Popular Topics & Collections link on the main page does prove useful, providing links to commonly requested pages like the National Book Festival and the Civil War. In order to see how usable the website actually was, I conducted a quick search. I wanted to know the hours of the Main Reading Room—a very simple question, and probably a frequently asked one. It took me quite a few minutes to navigate through all of the pages until I found one page tucked away three links deep that listed the hours.

Very much like the website for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, the Library of Congress has a continually flashing banner that rotates through a variety of topics: upcoming exhibitions, frequently searched topics, and the like. While it is supposed to function as a navigation tool, it ends up being somewhat distracting. As Paula Petrik explains in Top Ten Mistakes in Academic Web Design on George Mason’s Center for History and New Media, “any kind of motion attracts the human eye. Animations…divert the viewer’s attention away from the website’s content.” Though this site uses the banner as a navigational tool, which Petrik notes is an exception to the rule, it has a tendency to be distracting.

The very frustrating aspect of the Library of Congress website involves the web pages linked from its main page. While these pages still exist within the Library of Congress, they do not keep to the same format as the main page. For instance clicking on the news releases, such as James Forman Papers Donated to the Library will bring up a different page format than clicking on the Support the Library page, the Online Catalog, or the Today in History page. In trying to keep a massive website such as this usable, consistency should be vital.

The Library of Congress is attempting to incorporate new media amidst their massive website. They have an enormous collection of webcasts, such as Langston Hughes and His Poetry Webcast, which require only free media and speakers to play on a computer. In addition to webcasts, the Library also links to Library of Congress Photos on Flickr and has even joined the blogging community with the Library of Congress Blog ». Such uses of new media might not be expected from this grand government entity, but they are making all the efforts to keep up with history in the digital age.

Like other history websites, the Library of Congress website uses certain tactics to keep visitors returning on a regular basis. Just like The History Channel, the Library offers a Today in History section, as well as a Did You Know? link. Along with the changing exhibitions and frequently updated information, the Library of Congress seeks to keep visitors coming to the site consistently.

The Library of Congress web page is a fine example of a history website. The creators had a grand task before them, and they could really only show the tip of the iceberg. The physical Library of Congress has so much to offer, it would be an impossible task to get even a decent percentage on the web. The site offers resources for almost anyone—kids and families to publishers to regular visitors, and allows access to their catalogs online. Various pages of the website lack consistency, however, and formatting is vital for an elaborate website such as this. The Library of Congress makes attempts to stay up with new web technology, as the Library of Congress Blog » attests. Whether tourists to Washington D.C. hoping to see some exhibitions, or researchers in need of the catalog, the Library of Congress website provides a wealth of information for the people who seek it.