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Local Government Website Evaluation Criteria 

Updated May 2005.

Members of the Access to Electronic Legal Information Committee have developed tailored sets of criteria for evaluating legal and government information at government web sites. The criteria sets include the "General Evaluation Criteria for All Web Sites Providing Legal Information" and four other criteria sets that provide "Evaluation Criteria Specific to Judicial, Legislative, Executive Branch, and Local Government Web Sites."

Recently, members of the Committee have begun developing Evaluation Guideline Worksheets based directly upon the Criteria and welcome you to ‘beta-test’ the new General Website Evaluation Worksheet or the Local Government Evaluation Worksheet, analyze how well a Website provides access to laws and legal materials, and e-mail us your feedback!

I. General Website Considerations:

A local government website should optimally contain:

  1. Mission statement.
  2. Depending upon cultural jurisdictions, the availability of a second language.
  3. Site map and search engine
  4. Legal information, resources and services menu on the main/home page. If not on the home page, link should be labeled in such a manner to be obvious to the user,
  5. Ability to view and print citizen brochures or guides detailing the locations of all local government buildings, their operations and services.
  6. If no brochure has been published, the information should be linked by building, operations, and services formatted for ease of printing.
  7. Page containing frequently asked questions and user tips. FAQ should answer questions about the actual website and give information about government services.
  8. List of contacts for providing answers to questions or comments.
  9. User survey and comment box.

II. Specific Electronic Local Government Information, Resources and Services
A local government website should promote and enhance user friendly electronic public access to all local government information, resources and services available in their jurisdiction:

  1. Profiles and contact information for all locally elected and executive public officials.
  2. Contact information to all local government departments and sub-agencies.
  3. Ability to view and print local maps detailing public transportation and parking information to all local government entities
  4. Handicap access information.
  5. Hours of operation.
  6. Governing bodies meeting calendar and meeting minutes (recent and archived) including any proposed legislation or agenda items.
  7. Media alerts and public notices.
  8. Election and voting information.
  9. Links to all external local government websites.
  10. Links to all state and federal government legal information, resources and services.
  11. Community awareness information.

III. Specific Electronic Local Government Legal Information, Resources and Services
A local government website should promote and enhance user friendly electronic public access to all of the legal information, resources and services available in their jurisdiction:

  1. Electronic reference library containing state statutes, administrative code, city and county municipal ordinances, codes, orders, regulations, policies, proposed ordinances, proposed legislation and procedures.
  2. Links to local courthouse and clerk of court.
  3. Links to all state and federal government legal information, resources and services.
  4. Legal aid information, locations and contact information.
  5. Available online services.
  6. Self help "pro se" legal forms.
  7. Electronic filing guidelines (if e-filing is available).
  8. Fees schedule.
  9. Ability to pay fees and fines electronically (if available).
  10. Locations of local public law libraries and/or law schools open to the public.
  11. Locations of local office stationary and commercial copying services that are near local government entities.
  12. Local court rules and forms.
  13. How and where to pay fees and fines, including agency's hours of operation.

Local Government Evaluation Criteria Worksheet

This tool is a document in development that the committee continues to work on. If you have any suggestions on how the committee can improve the effectiveness of this worksheet, please feel free to e-mail your comments to the Committee Chairperson, Timothy Coggins at: tcoggins@richmond.edu


Worksheet

Would you like to suggest other criteria that the Committee should consider?
Please email the Committee Chairperson, Timothy Coggins at: tcoggins@richmond.edu 

This site has been considered and approved by the American Association of Law Libraries Executive Board.

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