OCPL's Web Link Selection Criteria

The OCPL Web links pages are intended to serve as an online collection of high-quality reference resources for staff and patrons. The collection is not intended to be a comprehensive listing of all useful sites on the Web, or a community directory of all sites in the Syracuse/Onondaga County area.

OCPL reserves the right to decide which sites are included. Sites are not automatically added upon request, but must first be reviewed by a librarian. When commercial sites are listed, it is not for the purpose of promoting or endorsing those businesses, but rather because they offer useful information at no charge.

OCPL cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information found on an outside Web site. The library has no control over the content of outside sites, or of the links contained in those sites. While every effort is made to keep the Web links pages up-to-date, Web sites frequently change or disappear.

Web sites are judged on authority, currency, content, design, and usefulness to library patrons and/or library staff.

The following criteria are used to evaluate Web sites. In some cases, sites that do not meet all the criteria may be included if they offer valuable information that is not easily available elsewhere.

• The site should contain information of use to library patrons and/or staff.

• The person or organization responsible for the site should be clearly identified. The information provider should be a reliable, unbiased source.

• Site content should be maintained and regularly updated, if applicable.

• The site should offer valuable or unique content. Sites that are solely or primarily a collection of links will only be considered for inclusion if they are unusually comprehensive and add value through the organization and description of the links.

• The site should be reasonably well organized and easy to use.

• The site should not require registration, free or otherwise, to view the useful content.

• Advertising should not be inappropriate or intrusive.