WebWatching public library web site entry points

In March the WebWatch project analysed the entry-points of public library websites. The analysis looked at the total size of the entry-points (including images) and profiled the hyperlinks contained in each (which included hyperlinks and "active maps").

Figure 1 shows a frequency distribution of the total-size of entry-points.

Figure 1.

Figure 1 shown that the sizes of entry-points is approximately normal. The mean size of a page is about 23Kb, the median is around 19Kb. The trail to the right and the extreme outlier correspond to sites using larger images or more images than most, for example, a large detailed logo.

Figure 2 profiles the number of hyperlinks contained within each entry-point.

Figure 2.

The average number of hyperlinks per entry-point is about 13. The outlier represents a cluster of pages that provide links to local branch libraries and other local information.

It will be interesting to see how these profiles change as public libraries gain experience in managing websites. Will, for example, the entry-point sizes grow (making more use of images) or shrink (providing a faster response)?