Public library domain names

This is the first of a series of regular New items by the WebWatch project providing information on the status of Public Libraries on the Web.

WebWatch is a project aiming to develop and use robot software for analyzing various aspects of the World Wide Web. The project is funded by the British Library Research and Innovation Centre (BLRIC) and is based at UKOLN.

Domain names can indicate the nature of the organization hosting the server. The Hardens' list of public library websites is used as the input for the WebWatch surveys. The list currently shows 133 sites. From this list the following domains were found: 43% gov.uk , 41% org.uk (of which 41% are part of EARL), 7% co.uk, 5% ac.uk, 5% com, 1.5% org and 1.5% net. The domains refer respectively to UK local government sites, UK organizations, commercial providers, UK academic institutions, companies, organizations and commercial providers.

It will be interesting to see how the proportions change as more public library websites come online.