This research embraced an original goal of LibQUAL+? to "identify best practices in library service" via a systematic procedure to utilise the survey data. As reflected by LibQUAL+? scores, website design is an important consideration for academic research library users. The findings of this study demonstrate that, using LibQUAL+? 2010 scores as one gauge, there are common characteristics among those ARL library websites with the highest scores on the item "a library Web site enabling me to locate information on my own." Applying a set of sound evaluation criteria commonly used to assess the effectiveness of website design, as demonstrated in this study, may give other ARL libraries insight into best practices for contemporary academic library website design. This research may inspire libraries serving other missions and communities (e.g, law libraries, health sciences libraries, and community college libraries) to use a similar methodology to discover and adopt best practices in website design to better serve their users in this digital library era.
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