A library website provides a

library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

with a website to offer its services and to tell its story to its

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...

Services

Library websites can offer: *''Interaction with the

library catalog A library catalog (or library catalogue in British English) is a register of all bibliographic items found in a library or group of libraries, such as a network of libraries at several locations. A catalog for a group of libraries is also c ...

.'' An

Online Public Access Catalog The online public access catalog (OPAC), now frequently synonymous with '' library catalog'', is an online database of materials held by a library or group of libraries. Online catalogs have largely replaced the analog card catalogs previously ...

(OPAC) provides the ability log into a library account to renew or request items. *''Gateway to electronic resources.'' Libraries may organize the various periodical indexes, electronic reference collections, and other databases they subscribe to. Resources may be organized alphabetically, by subject and by media. *''Library tutorials.'' Interactive tutorials can help users choose and use electronic resources, how to renew a book, and other library functions. *''Virtual reference.''

Virtual reference Digital reference (more commonly called virtual reference) is a service by which a library reference service is conducted online, and the reference transaction is a computer-mediated communication. It is the remote, computer-mediated delivery of re ...

allows remote patrons to connect with library staff and have their questions answered, including via email and texting. *''Library blogs.''

Blogs A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order ...

can announce new resources or services at the library and to give patrons another venue to communicate with staff and provide feedback.

Accessibility

In the United States, according to the Tech Act and AT Act of 1998, libraries as grant-funded institutions are bound by the

Section 508 Amendment to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 In 1998 the US Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act to require Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. Section 508 was enacted to eliminate barriers in information technolog ...

and must report the accessibility of their electronic and information technology. Therefore, library websites should be designed with

web accessibility Web accessibility, or eAccessibility,European CommissionCommunication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament and the , European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions: eAccessibility, EC(2005)1095 ...

standards in mind.

References

External links

* Example
Official website
of the

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second- ...

, Oxford, UK {{Authority control Websites Libraries