Evaluating Existing Digital Libraries as a Prototype with the Suggested Criteria: Content, Usability, and Performance Evaluation Criteria

Jin, Sunyoung

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/50102 Copy

Description

Title

• Evaluating Existing Digital Libraries as a Prototype with the Suggested Criteria: Content, Usability, and Performance Evaluation Criteria
• International Open Public Digital Library (IOPDL): A Proposal for the Future

Author(s)

Jin, Sunyoung

Issue Date

2014

Keyword(s)

• evaluating digital library
• content evaluation
• Usability
• Performance
• Evaluation Criteria
• Accessibility
• Convenience
• Consistency and Visual design criteria
• Response time
• Relevance criteria

Abstract

The proposed International Open Public Digital Library (IOPDL) is open public digital library for the public to access collections all over the world either free of charge or with fewest possible limitations as a non-profit organization (Jin). It will consist of new published collections and links to existing qualitative and quantitative collections of Well-Designed Digital Libraries (WDDLs) in many subject areas. To determine WDDLs, evaluation tools and methods were investigated. One combined method is suggested to evaluate multiple performances together of existing digital libraries with the suggested evaluation criteria: Content, Usability and Performance Evaluation (CUPE) criteria. The CUPE criteria include mainly three evaluations with seven sub-criteria: Content quality evaluation (with content quality criteria), Usability evaluation (with Accessibility, Convenience, Consistency and Visual design criteria), and Performance evaluation (with Response time and Relevance criteria). In the Content quality evaluation, experts recommended sixty three digital libraries as candidates of WDDLs in fifteen subject domains (based on Library of Congress classification). Usability of the candidate is evaluated by using open sources for Accessibility evaluation, and by heuristic method for Interfaces’ usability evaluation. In the performance evaluation, the developed simulation programs evaluate again their response time and relevance (by word density). All seven evaluations with CUPE criteria are done with carefully considered check lists. The evaluation is limited regionally almost in the USA and timely on 2010. As a result, thirty four out of sixty three candidate digital libraries turn out as well-designed digital libraries in fifteen subject areas. Many problems of existing digital libraries are found, which will encourage their developments. The suggested CUPE is one of the appropriate ways to determine well-designed digital libraries, to evaluate existing digital libraries in many subject areas, and to point out their problems in content quality, usability and performance. The evaluations are effective and efficient to assess overall their various performances together and many digital libraries at once. The evaluation methods may further suggest a certain way to evaluate national digital libraries all over the world for the near future.

Type of Resource

text

Language

en

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/50102

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