Usability testing of a customizable library web portal

The popularity of customizable Web sites in libraries has increased librarians’ interest in supplementing user services with portal technology. The open source-software MyLibrary gives the librarian control over the resources directed to users based on their interests. University of Illinois at Chicago librarians developed My Chicago Library as a way to streamline user access to library resources. A usability study designed around common task categories tested the participants’ abilities to customize a personal library Web page, understand the resource categories as defined by librarians, and manage the discipline-specific content available in the portal.