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Abstract
In today's technological climate, libraries in further education colleges in the United Kingdom have recognised and begun to address the need to make their services available electronically through the development of web pages. It has been identified that librarians frequently take a ‘librarians know best’ approach to web design that fails to take account of users’ needs and preferences. This paper is based on a qualitative study that was carried out at Yeovil College of Further Education in 2003, which used focus groups to consult with students, aged 16–19 years, regarding their preferences in the design of library web pages. It found that users placed greatest importance on the content and usability of the pages, but that they were also concerned with their visual appearance. A set of user perspectives is presented and issues raised around these are discussed. These include: students’ demands for convenience, the need for help and information about the pages, the lack of understanding of library terminology, the preference for relying on search engines, the suggestion that unappealing visuals can deter use and debates around promotion, user education and academic liaison. The findings support the case for moving towards a more user-centred, consultative approach to library web design.