A QA Framework To Support Your Library Web Site Review

UKOLN is supported by: A QA Framework To Support Your Library Web Site Review Brian Kelly UKOLN University of Bath Bath Email:B.Kelly@ukoln.ac.uk URL: <http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/qa-focus/> This presentation and associated files are available at: <http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/qa-focus/presentations/lse-07-2003/>

Contents • Background • A QA Approach • The QA Focus Project • Application To LSE Library • Advice • Questions

About Me Background • Brian Kelly: • Funded by JISC to provide the Web Focus advisory service to the UK HE and FE community • Based in UKOLN, a centre of expertise in digital information management • Located at the University of Bath • Project manager of the JISC-funded QA Focus advisory service

Background Background • There is a clear need for checking processes for Web services in order to: • Ensure that resources comply with appropriate standards in order to maximise their interoperability and avoid platform- and application-dependencies • Ensure that resources work correctly today in a range of environments (e.g. Opera, Mac, … users) • Ensure that resources can be repurposed: • New devices such as PDAs • Accessibility aids • By software • Migrate to new formats (XHTML 2.0) • Ensure that the content is accurate, relevant, timely, comprehensible, …

Approaches Background • A variety of approaches can be taken: • Centralised approach, with all publications being vetted by central body • Periodic reviews • Peer reviews • Independent reviews • Automated testing • Manual checking • which may: • Check compliance against documented criteria • Be open-ended

A QA Approach Background • An approach based on Quality Assurance (QA): • Requires documented criteria • Addresses work flow issues (why did the system fail and how can we fix it) • Based on systematic checking, audit trails, etc. • QA: • May be considered bureaucratic and time-consuming • Can be implemented in a lightweight fashion and provide clear benefits to organisations

QA Focus Background • QA Focus: • Funded by JISC to support 5/99 programme • Seeks to ensure project deliverables are interoperable and comply with appropriate standards & best practices • Provides advice on appropriate QA procedures • Provided by UKOLN and AHDS • Our approach: • Surveys of communities • Provide advice and commission case studies • Recommend QA Policies • Promote use of compliance tools • Seek to embed QA practices within institutions

Application To LSE Library LSE Review • The QA Focus methodology has been applied to selected resources on the LSE library Web site: • Compliance with standards • Formats • Repurposing • Key navigational aspects • In addition some suggestions for enhancement are provided Note the focus is on the technical aspects

Surveys (1) LSE Surveys • A number of surveys of a selection of resources was carried out using a variety of automated tools

Surveys (2) LSESurveys • Surveys (continued)

Surveys (3) LSESurveys • Surveys (continued)

QA Framework Advice • Consider deploying QA Focus's methodology: • Make systematic use of a self-assessment toolkit to validate QA (as discussed) • Provide policies which document standards and best practices you will deploy, the architecture used for implementation and the approach to checking compliance • Implement in areas such as metadata, software development, digitisation, … • Mandate QA when commissioning new work See "Deployment Of Quality Assurance Procedures For Digital Library Programmes" paper which outlines CDLR's comments on this methodology for Victorian Times

QA Policies Advice • You may find it easier to improve your Web site if you have documented QA policies and procedures Area: Web standards Policy: Web resources will be based on HTML 4.0 and CSS 2.0. Resource will comply with these standards. We will seek to migrate to XHTML 1.0. Architecture: Dreamweaver is the recommended tool. HTML generated by scripts will output to XHTML 1.0. Exceptions: Proprietary format converted to HTML (e.g. MS PowerPoint) will not necessarily be compliant. Compliance Testing: Authors are expected to check compliance when updating resources. Monthly batch compliance reports will be carried out and an audit trail kept. See <http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/qa-focus/documents/papers/eunis-2003/>

Ask your Web manager if he can implement this lightweight solution Compliance Checking Tools Advice • You will need tools to ensure that you comply with your policies • As an example of approach which provides easier access to testing tools, see the ,tools approach deployed on UKOLN Web site. • This approach: • Applies to all resources on Web site • Covers HTML and CSS validation and various other tests • Some recursive apps (,rvalidate) • Easily implemented with single line redirect

Exploit Advice Advice • QA Focus has a range of advisory documents, case studies, papers, etc. • Feel free to: • Use the advice provided • Contribute to the case studies

Change Control Strategies Advice • Strategies for deploying new best practices: • Training, organisational commitment, … • New templates, updating scripts, etc. • Use of automated tools The online version of Tidy can convert resources to valid XHTML

Questions • Any questions?

A QA Framework To Support Your Library Web Site Review