About the Web Laboratory
The University Library's Web Laboratory
- showcases contemplated and proposed additions to the production environment (digital services and collections);
- provides a venue for beta testing and refining services nearing production; actively solicits user input on the usefulness and usability of collections and services being beta tested by the library;
- solicits suggestions from users for potential services and collections; and helps recruit users for focus groups and marketing efforts.
This site will be available in October 2007, but, in keeping with its more experimental nature, will introduce further iterations relatively rapidly after its initial release.
The project team will make every reasonable effort to insure that pages, headers, footers and sidebars developed for this site validate to XHTML 1.0 and style sheets to CSS 1.
The University Library's Web Laboratory provides a virtual "place" where our users can both propose and help us evaluate potential new services. By implementing rigorous analyses and creative information gathering techniques, this site would also provide one of many significant "market research" channels. By allowing prompt release of contemplated services, it permits both users and library staff to become comfortable with services that may eventually move into the stable, production environment without being bound by the academic calendar.