ERIC Redesigns Web Site; Adds Expanded Help, New Information
Aug 03, 2008
ERIC announces the release of a new Web site structure and design at www.eric.ed.gov. The new ERIC Web site features several enhancements that will make the experience of using the site easier and faster for individual researchers, along with improvements to aid librarians in supporting ERIC users. These enhancements include improved navigation, expanded help and training, an information area for librarians, and a lighter visual design:
- Restructured navigation makes site usage more intuitive to speed information discovery.
- ERIC's Help feature has been expanded to include brief tutorials, a glossary, and a searchable index. Help has been fully integrated into the ERIC Web site through the use of context-sensitive Help features such as tool tips and How do I links.
- A new area for librarians provides access to flyers, brochures, lists of ERIC microfiche, and other relevant information, including ways to provide feedback about ERIC.
- Site pages load faster with a lighter visual design, and new graphics refresh the site while retaining ERIC’s look and feel.
The features and functionality of ERIC search and My ERIC have not been changed in the current release.
ERIC has modified the site in response to user feedback identified through emails, user research, and usability testing. The changes and enhancements reflect our commitment to continuous improvement. A more detailed description of the many improvements is offered below.
What's New
Site Navigation
Home Page
- Inclusion of main navigation tabs for Our Collection and About Us
- Re-labeling of some navigation links to increase clarity
- Addition of policy statements and the site map in the footer
- Prominent display of three major content areas - About Our Collection, ERIC Information for stakeholders (publishers, authors, and librarians), and More About ERIC, with links to support and training materials and other useful content
- Redesign of the Spotlight, a rotating showcase for current news and features including featured publications in ERIC
Secondary Pages
- More finely grained structure with more relevant links and other navigational tools
- Inclusion of information boxes on many pages linking users to more information or related topics
- Addition of an information page About the Thesaurus
Enhanced Help and Training
- Restructured, searchable Help area with a table of contents, glossary, and index that provides textual guidance for using the features of the ERIC Web site
- Initial set of brief, animated tutorials integrated into the Help area and also accessible from a centralized tutorial page (more tutorials will follow)
- Context-sensitive help integrated into ERIC search pages (tool tips that provide search guidance and How Do I box pointing to relevant Help text) providing content tailored to specific pages/areas of the ERIC site
Information Area for Librarians
- Resources and information for training and teaching about ERIC
- Guidance for getting involved in ERIC initiatives
- Microfiche lists to support collection maintenance
- Information on ERIC’s Find in a Library feature which links users to library holdings through OCLC’s WorldCat service
Site Design
- Lighter, faster loading visual design
- Refreshed graphics on individual pages and in the Spotlight news and features area of the Home Page
What Remains the Same
- ERIC Search
- My ERIC features
- ERIC Thesaurus functionality
- List of Journals Indexed in ERIC functionality
- No-cost access to the ERIC Collection (more than 1.2 million bibliographic citations and abstracts), a growing body of full text, and links to information and other full-text sources
- ERIC’s commitment to meeting the education information needs of researchers, educators, students, librarians, and others
Let us know how we're doing by sending an e-mail to ericfeedback@csc.com
