NLM's Web Site Gets a New Look
Streamlined Design Helps Users Find What They Need Quickly and
Easily
The next time you take a cyberjourney to the NLM web site (/), you may
do a double take.
The Library has completely redesigned and reorganized its home
page, with its millions of users in mind. The colors are different,
the layout has changed, and the net effect is one of simplicity,
organization and, it is hoped, greater ease of use. 
First launched in October 1993, NLM's web site was last
reorganized in 1996 to provide extensive information about NLM's
programs and services for a wide audience. Early examinations of the
web search logs showed that users of the Web site expected the NLM
site to contain full-text medical information. A study of the NLM
Web site logs in 1998 found that 94% of the searches done on the
site were for medical or health-related terms. Only 6% of the terms
were related to NLM's programs and services. In addition, as the
amount of information published on the NLM site grew, it became
increasingly difficult to find needed information.
NLM had three major goals in the re- design, according to
Eve-Marie Lacroix, Chief of the Library's Public Services Division.
"We wanted a simpler, cleaner look with consistent navigation and
headers across NLM," she explained. "We wanted to help site visitors
understand where they should look for health information. And we
wanted to organize our programs and services into categories that
would make sense to our many user communities -- health
professionals and researchers, librarians and information
scientists, and the general public."
A cross-divisional team of NLM staff, chaired by Monica Unger,
Systems Librarian in the Public Services Division, worked several
months to create a design to meet the objectives and to implement it
across the entire Web site.
The new site is organized into five major categories:
Health Information-- Provides direct links to MEDLINE,
MEDLINEplus and other database resources for all users.
Library Services-- Connects to LOCATORplus, NLM
publications and other information of particular interest to
libraries and librarians.
Research Programs-- Brings together NLM's programs for
researchers in medical informatics and computational molecular
biology, including grant and training opportunities.
New & Noteworthy-- Features press releases,
information on NLM exhibits, and other information recently posted
on the NLM web site.
General Information-- Contains information for visitors to
the Library, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), staff directories,
and job announcements, among other items.
The new home page will be launched in July, but it will take
several months to complete conversion of all pages on the site to
the new look. Early feedback from users has been overwhelmingly
positive. Take a look -- we'd like to hear from you as well.
Thanks to Eve-Marie Lacroix, Chief, Public Services Division, for
invaluable assistance with this article. | 
