Evaluating the usability of COMSATS Institute of Information Technology library website: a case study

Abstract

Purpose Library websites serve as gateways to the information resources and services of their libraries. In today’s digital age, the development of websites is inevitable for libraries as a means to provide users with online services at their desktops. This case study reports the findings of a usability study of an academic library website from the user’s perspective. Design/methodology/approach An online survey on the efficacy of the website and statistical reports from Google Analytics were used as tools to assess and track the use of the Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS) Institute of Information Technology’s (CIIT’s) library website resources by national and international users. A sample of 550 users was invited by e-mail to respond to the questionnaire covering various usability features of the website. Findings Findings reveal that users are largely satisfied with the usefulness, convenience, design and quality of CIIT library website. Moreover, the users are mostly making use of the website for accessing research papers through the Higher Education Commission (HEC) digital library, exploring free online open access journals, searching for e-books and examining the library collection via online public access catalog (OPAC). This shows that the library website has a significant role in the pedagogical activities of the CIIT community. Research limitations/implications The results are limited to a case study of CIIT, Islamabad campus library website. Practical implications The findings of this study will help the library administration to overcome existing deficiencies in the CIIT library website. Originality/value The study is a foremost usability evaluation of CIIT, Islamabad campus library website from the user perspective.