Web Laboratory: Redesign as an Opportunity for Experimentation

Heather CookReference LibrarianBergen Community College

Yolanda SheppardWeb Master/ Technical AssistantBergen Community College

VALE/NJ ACRL/NJLA CUS Users’ Conference Thursday January 5, 2012

http://www.bergen.edu/pages1/Pages/683.aspx

The Committee

•Formed Spring 2011•Diverse Group:

▫Dean of Library and Assistant Dean▫Web Master▫Innovative Interfaces Specialist▫Metadata/Cataloging Librarian▫Reference Librarian

Website Vision StatementThe Library website will:• Be accessible to all users, on all

browsers, from all devices • Provide access to all Library resources

and services • Adhere to the Bergen Community

College website guidelines

Website Design Goals•Navigation

▫All information within one click of the home page

•Easy to update and maintain▫All pages reviewed/Updated every 6

months•Every unique piece of information exists

only once, but may appear many times

The Process

•What’s being done right now? ▫In Libraries and beyond

•Functionality at the center•Major Concerns:

▫1. Navigation▫2. Database subject sorting▫3. Editing existing pages/Layout of home

page•Applied innovations and ideas from test

website to current website

The Product

•Launched October 2011 •70+ pages down to 35 •Improved current website with problem

solving ideas from the test website•In the cloud:

▫Formsite, Libguides, Drupal, Google Calendar, Google Forms

•Link from the Library’s home page

Collaboration

Before• Meeting with IT

Faculty Department chair

• Alternatives to SharePoint

• Suggested tools▫ Drupal

(ex. www.whitehouse.gov)

▫ Microsoft Expression Web

After• Suggested some

tweaks:▫ Fonts▫ Links to pages outside

of site

• Plans to ask next semesters’ Web Design class to give feedback

DrupalHost Gator Drupal Gardens

• Web Hosting• Application Hosting –

Drupal• VPS Hosting (Virtual

Private Server)• Easy and Affordable

Feedback

•Google Docs Forms- used to gather feedback

•Link to feedback on test website•Feedback received:

▫Suggestions, clarifications, confusing items, language issues, navigation

Student23%

Faculty67%

Other10%

Feedback by Affili-ation

Suggestions72%

Positive21%

Negative7%

Feedback Type

Where is the “My Library Account”

link?-Faculty/Staff

I like how everything is

easier to access.

-Student

Database access

should have its own box,

not just a tab.

-Faculty /Staff And perhaps the

search for databases could be by keyword

rather than subject?

-Faculty/Staff

I don’t think its much different

from the former, but it’s a nice

touch.-Student

Looking Toward the Future

•Keep in test phase and work on suggestions

•Useful exercise for editing, updating and finding solutions ‘outside of the box’ for the current website

Questions?

Yolanda Sheppard ysheppard@bergen.eduHeather Cook hcook@bergen.edu

http://ssltestlibrary.net