Archives	Search NLM Web Site NLM Home | About the Archives
Home > NLM Archives > Document content is not current. Links may be broken.

Improving the NLM Home Page: From Logs to Links

Poster presented by Naomi Miller, Public Services Division, at Medical Library Association Annual Meeting, May 26-27, 1997.

Introduction

The National Library of Medicine restructured its main World Wide Web server in late March 1996. The new home page presented seven major categories. It also provided a searchable index.

Searchable Index

Users confused the Web site index with MEDLINE. They searched for names of diseases or other medical terms.

Proposed Solution

Create an interim search page with two options:

1. a new Medical Topics Page
2. a "search this site" page

Methodology - Evaluate Solution

Capture one week of user searches and count searches for medical topics before and after changes.

June 1996

Before Medical Topics page

• Direct link to searchable index from footer of all pages.
• 90% of searches are for medical topics

August 1996

Medical Topics Page

Replaced the Search Index page with an intermediate page with two links:

1. Information on medical topics (Grateful Med and other resources)
2. Information on NLM programs and services (searchable Web index)

• 79% of searches are for medical topics
• 6% of weekly hits to the site are for the new page

September 1996

Medical Topics Moves Up Front

Adding the Medical Topics page reduces the index searches for information on medical topics and is promoted to the front page.

• 79% of searches are for medical topics (no change)
• 10% of weekly hits to the site are for the Medical Topics page

January 1997

More Links on the Front

Added front page links to frequently-searched NLM programs and services based on search logs

• 74% of searches are for medical topics (small decrease)
• 9% of weekly hits to the site are for the Medical Topics page (no change)

Conclusions

Visitors to the NLM web site seek information on medical topics
The Medical Topics page helped reduce medical topic searches, but did not eliminate them.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to:

P. Zoe Stavri, Ph.D., Research Support, Library Operations, NLM,for assistance with research methodology

Paul Schnake and Mark Silverman, Office of Computer & Communications Systems, NLM, for technical assistance with log programs

Joyce Backus, Senior Systems Librarian, Public Services Division, and Eve-Marie Lacroix, Chief, Public Services Division, for editorial and technical assistance

Joe Fitzgerald, Audiovisual Program Development Branch, NLM, for graphics assistance

Last updated: 04 June 1997
First published: 04 June 1997
Permanence level: Permanent: Stable Content