Using ChatGPT to Evaluate and Improve Library Websites

Abstract

A library website serves as the gateway to a library's resources and services. To provide a satisfactory experience for users, it is crucial that the website is user-friendly, accessible, and efficient. AI tools like ChatGPT can be effective in evaluating and improving library websites. According to Jakob Nielsen, users tend to ignore web content that is complex or difficult to understand. Therefore, readability is an essential indicator to measure the complexity of the website's text. ChatGPT can analyze the website's text to determine its readability score and provide suggestions for improving the clarity and conciseness of the text. Another crucial factor to consider is mobile-friendliness. With an increasing number of people accessing the internet through their mobile devices, library websites must be optimized for mobile users. ChatGPT can evaluate a website's mobile-friendliness and suggest improvements such as adjusting font sizes, optimizing images, and improving the site's overall responsiveness. Accessibility is also a critical aspect of a library website. Libraries strive to provide equal access to their resources for all users, regardless of their physical or cognitive abilities. ChatGPT can review a website's code to identify any accessibility issues and suggest improvements. This includes ensuring proper use of alt text for images, labeling of form fields, appropriate use of headings, and code for keyboard element accessibility. Finally, ChatGPT can evaluate a website's performance and suggest ways to improve it. Slow loading times and inefficient code can negatively impact the user experience. ChatGPT can identify areas of the website that are causing performance issues and provide recommendations to improve it, such as optimizing images, minifying code, and reducing the number of HTTP requests. In conclusion, ChatGPT can be a valuable tool for libraries looking to evaluate and improve their website. By analyzing content readability, mobile-friendliness, accessibility, and performance, libraries can make adjustments to provide a better user experience. A user-friendly, accessible, and efficient library website can be an essential tool for many people in their quest for knowledge.

A presentation at the "Demystifying Statistics and Evaluation in Libraries" Satellite Meeting, organised by the Statistics and Evaluation Section and held at the University of Utrecht in Utrecht, The Netherlands from 17–18 August 2023.